Monkey business: Colombo blames a primate for nationwide blackout!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: A Sri Lankan minister has blamed a monkey for a nationwide blackout on Sunday amid sweltering heat!
The media reported on Monday that power was gradually restored across the island nation of 22 million people, with medical facilities and water purification plants being given priority.
“A monkey came in contact with our grid transformer in the south of Columbo, causing an imbalance in the system,” Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody told reporters.
The blackout started at about 11:00 local time (05:30 GMT) on Sunday, forcing many to rely on generators. Officials said it took a few hours to get power back.
On social media, people criticised the authorities while making fun of the incident.
“A rogue monkey knocked out Sri Lanka’s entire power grid after triggering a total failure at a substation in Colombo,” X user Mario Nawfal remarked.
“One monkey = total chaos. Time to rethink infrastructure?” he added.
Another X user, Sreeni R, posted an illustration of the monkey god Hanuman, who according to the Hindu epic Ramayana, set Sri Lanka on fire during a war with the demon king Ravana who ruled the country.
“Sri Lanka tasted monkey business in the past,” he wrote.
“Only in Sri Lanka can a group of monkeys fighting inside a power station cause an island-wide power outage,” wrote Jamila Husain, editor-in-chief of local newspaper Daily Mirror.
The media outlet said on Monday that engineers have been warning consecutive governments “for years” to upgrade its power grid or face frequent blackouts.
“The national power grid is in such a weakened state that frequent island-wide power outages maybe expected if there is a disturbance even in one of our lines,” it quoted officials as saying.
The blackout, which began around midday on Sunday, left many people sweltering in temperatures exceeding 30C (86F), the media said.
Engineers scrambled to restore power, prioritising critical facilities such as hospitals and water purification plants. While some areas regained electricity within hours, many households without generators remained in the dark well into the night.
Beyond the internet memes, the sudden power outage underscored Sri Lanka’s ongoing struggles with energy security. Experts have long warned that the country’s power grid is outdated and vulnerable to disruptions.
Sri Lanka is no stranger to power shortages. In 2022, amid a deep economic crisis, rolling blackouts became a grim reality as fuel shortages forced authorities to ration electricity for up to 13 hours a day.
The Ceylon Electricity Board issued an apology for the Sunday blackout but did not explain how one incident could have had such widespread repercussions. There was no word on the fate of the monkey.
Monkeys have become an increasing problem in Sri Lanka because of their booming numbers. As humans encroach on forested areas, the primates raid villages in search of food and destroy crops.
The endemic toque macaque monkeys are estimated to number between 2 and 3 million on the island.
