A national blackout in Sri Lanka was attributed to a monkey that broke into a power plant south of Colombo, resulting in an interruption that left many inhabitants of the country facing temperatures above 30 ° C. The incident, which occurred on Sunday (10), was explained by Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody, who reported that the animal came into contact with a power transformer, causing an imbalance in the energy system.
Engineers have worked rapidly to restore energy in a country of 22 million inhabitants, prioritizing critical facilities such as hospitals and water purification stations. While some areas have been able to recover electricity within hours, many homes without generators remained light until night.
The blackout highlighted the country’s continuous difficulties in ensuring energy safety. Experts have long warned that the nation’s electric infrastructure has been outdated and vulnerable to interruptions. An engineer heard by the newspaper The Guardian He stated that “the national power grid is in such a weakened state that frequent interruptions across the island can be expected if there is a disturbance in one of our lines.”
Sri Lanka has already faced energy in the recent past. In 2022, during a deep economic crisis, programmed blackouts became a reality, with electricity rationing for up to 13 hours a day due to lack of fuel. CEYLON ELECTRICITY BOARD issued an apology for Sunday’s blackout, but did not explain how a single incident could have such broad repercussions.
In addition to electrical problems, monkeys also became a concern in Sri Lanka due to the increase of their populations. With human expansion in forest areas, monkeys, especially the tocoat monkey, a species with 3 million individuals on the island, have invaded villages in search of food, causing damage to crops and generating conflicts with residents.
