Sri Lankan Rickshaw Driver Has to Wait 12 Hours for Fuel

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Sri Lankan Rickshaw Driver Has to Wait 12 Hours for Fuel

Lasanda Deepthi is a 43-year-old Sri Lankan auto-rickshaw driver near the capital Colombo. An auto-rickshaw is a three-wheeled motorized vehicle used for public transport.

Deepthi carefully observes her fuel levels to make sure there is enough before accepting a job. When her fuel tank is almost empty, she joins a line of people waiting to refuel at a gas station.

"I spend more time in line for petrol than doing anything else," she said. "Sometimes I join a line about 3 p.m. but only get fuel about 12 hours later."

Deepthi added that a few times when she made it to the front of the line, the station had run out of fuel.

In mid-May, Deepthi said she spent two-and-a-half days in a line for fuel, assisted by one of her brothers.

"I don't have words to describe how terrible it is. I don't feel safe sometimes in the night but there is nothing else to do," she said.

Deepthi is one of millions of people in Sri Lanka battling rising inflation and falling wages. The country faces shortages of everything from fuel to medicine during its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.

Deepthi has been an auto-rickshaw driver for seven years to support her family of five.

Since the financial crisis hit, she has struggled to find enough fuel and earn enough money.

Deepthi usually earns about $138 each month. But her income started falling in January, and she now earns only about half that amount.

Deepthi's goal on most days is simply to find fuel. Fuel prices have increased 259 percent since October 2021.

The beginnings of Sri Lanka's current crisis lie in the COVID-19 pandemic. The country's profitable tourism industry was severely¹ affected², as well as foreign workers' payments. Tax cuts enacted³ by former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa's administration also played a part in the crisis.

Many Sri Lankans are angry at the widespread shortages. They accuse the powerful Rajapaksa family of mishandling the economy. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Sri Lanka in recent months for mostly peaceful demonstrations⁴.

New Prime Minister Ranil Wickrememsinghe plans to announce a budget in the coming weeks that will greatly cut spending. He says the plan will redirect the money toward a two-year public aid program.

His policies are also expected to push forward negotiations⁵ with the International Monetary⁶ Fund for badly needed loans.

But Deepthi remains⁷ deeply concerned about her financial future.

The car she bought with her savings⁸ had to be sold last year after she fell behind on payments.

A second auto-rickshaw needs repairs and she is more than $280 behind on loan payments for land she bought before the pandemic.

Deepthi also wants to visit her three-month-old granddaughter. But she is not sure how she can travel 170 kilometers to the town where her daughter lives.

"I can barely afford enough rice and vegetables for my family," she said. "I can't find medicines my mother needs. How will we live next month? I don't know what our future will be like."

Words in This Story

tourism – n. the practice of traveling for recreation

mishandling – v. dealing with or managing wrongly or ignorantly

1 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

4 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。