Amid rising prices and soaring inflation given the unprecedented economic crisis, survival has become a daily struggle for many people in Sri Lanka and savings are non-existent. In fact, for many people, eking out a living each day has become impossible without falling into debt. Rising prices have impacted every single aspect of daily life, from food, transport, and education to electricity, water, and medicine.
As Sri Lanka finds itself on the ledge, still waiting for the yet-elusive International Monetary Fund (IMF) assistance and debt restructuring, food inflation has reached record highs, leading to a rapid deterioration in food security.
A food security survey by the World Food Programme (WFP) in 2022 found that 61% of households in Sri Lanka were using food coping mechanisms to deal with the rising cost of food – reducing the quantity they eat either in portion sizes or in the number of meals and consuming cheaper, less nutritious alternatives.
According to the survey, about 35% of women of reproductive age were anaemic, about 16% of newborns had a low birth weight, and about 21% of children below the age of five were underweight. The survey also found that only 10% of Sri Lankan households were ‘food secure’.
In early June 2022, UNICEF appealed for $ 25 million to meet the urgent needs of 1.7 million children affected by the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, with thousands of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Even with people cutting down on other expenses such as education and medicine in order to be able to afford to eat, three meals a day has become a distant dream for many, who find themselves struggling to make it through one day at a time.
Gone are the days of eating a short-eat with tea during a midday break – the ability to even have a cup of tea is beyond reach for some people. The harsh reality is that some are dependent on the kindness of strangers for their only meal of the day, while others stay hungry until some work comes their way.
Here, The Sunday Morning shares the stories of survivors in the city amid the ongoing economic hardships, as told to journalist Marianne David and photojournalist Saman Abesiriwardana
W. Banduwathi – street cleaner working in Colombo
I live in Enderamulla with my daughter, son-in-law, and their children. I earn Rs. 1,200 a day. Last month I earned Rs. 33,000; my income changes depending on the number of days I work. The money goes towards day-to-day living necessities and repayment of loans. When I come to work I don’t bring food with me; people in vehicles passing by give me something to eat. There is no way to save any money for any emergency, everything goes towards living each day.
Imran – municipal council worker
I live in Hulftsdorp on rent with my wife and children. My salary is Rs. 50,000 a month; it’s our only source of income. We are managing somehow even though it is difficult to feed the children – that’s our main concern.
Malinga Perera – artist at Green Path
Since 2019, we have seen a huge drop in sales; it has been a struggle for the last four years. My father, brother, and I are artists who sell our paintings here, but there are no buyers. Paints and canvases have increased in price and import ban has had a huge impact too. There are no tourists to buy art and locals are not buying any either.
Ranjan – sells bakery items and soft drinks
I have been in this business for 13 years with my sister and right now things are very bad. Those who used to buy two to three bakery items now only buy one item. Earlier we used to bring 400 buns; now we only bring 60, but as you can see there are around 50 left. In an area like this, with the museum and schools, you’d expect more business, but sales have fallen drastically. School excursions in this area meant that students would buy short-eats, but now they are all on tight budgets.
Chandraratna – staff transport service driver
I operate a staff transport service from Bokundara to Colombo daily. There are fewer people using the service now, but the monthly cost is the same. People’s salaries have not changed, so how can we increase our prices? There is no question of saving money now, it is simply about living. We cannot save anything.
Thushara – lottery ticket seller
I have sales because of how I interact with people; I am very friendly with my customers and many of them are regulars. People who buy tickets every day continue to do so, but the winnings have dropped – there aren’t as many small wins as there used to be. I can’t save any money with the massive cost of living and we have had to cut back on what we can provide for the children compared to earlier. What we earn is not enough to live.
U.J. Ramyalatha – council rate collector
I live in Borella. My husband works in car parking. We have two children. I earn about Rs. 30,000 a month; basically Rs. 1,000 a day. We have a lot of loans to pay off. We have had to reduce food for ourselves and our children due to the cost of living. If we have breakfast, then we don’t have lunch; if we have lunch, we don’t have dinner. Life is very difficult.
Lalitha Kumarasinghe – florist
Business is alright because I have regular buyers through my contacts. It is only people with money who buy flowers, unless it is for a funeral. The lack of fertiliser has impacted the availability of flowers. Electricity bills and salary costs are high, so there is no big profit, but my children are married so I have a comparatively better life. Sales have improved compared to the Covid days.
Ravi – laundryman
Business is down by around 75%. This place is rented. I am from Wellampitiya and I have two children who are studying. I am taking life one day at a time and managing each day with difficulty. We can only eat; we cannot save anything. We can barely attend to the children’s school needs and we have loans that need to be paid back. I have diabetes and high blood pressure, but there is no medicine available at the National Hospital. Our lives are like water, which always flows downwards. I am trying to be happy despite these hardships; I can’t be angry at people just because we are struggling.
Wasantha – three-wheeler driver
I have no hires because there is no fuel. How can we run hires without sufficient fuel? I haven’t had anything to eat today, not even breakfast. We are helpless. My child had dengue and there was no Jeevani even at pharmacies. Wrongdoers are doing fine, but we are struggling to survive. If we eat, there is no money for fuel. If we pump fuel, there is no money to eat.
M.A. Cader – achcharu seller
Business is alright. There are difficulties, but we have to face life.
Name withheld – thambili seller
Business is down by about 60%. One king coconut costs Rs. 150 now. Usually this is a good period for sales, but now people don’t have money to buy things like thambili.