Bar Association Chairman Rajiv Amarasuriya has called on the government to take urgent steps to strengthen Sri Lanka’s national electricity grid following another islandwide power failure on Saturday (October 17).
In a social media post, Amarasuriya said the latest blackout was not an isolated incident, pointing to similar nationwide power failures in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2025.
He said repeated failures had exposed longstanding weaknesses in the country’s electricity infrastructure and highlighted the need for investment in a more resilient national grid.
Amarasuriya referred to the 2025 blackout, which reportedly followed a monkey coming into contact with equipment at the Panadura substation, as an example of the vulnerability of the national power system.
He noted that nationwide blackouts were exceptionally rare in countries such as Singapore, Japan and Germany, adding that Sri Lanka should aspire to similar standards.
“The economic and social losses arising from these repeated failures may never be fully quantified,” he said.
Amarasuriya said the government has an opportunity to address the longstanding issue by learning from previous failures and implementing recommendations made following earlier investigations.
“This Government has an opportunity to address this longstanding problem once and for all,” he said.
He urged authorities to invest in strengthening the national grid to ensure a more reliable electricity supply and prevent similar disruptions in the future.
“Let this be an opportunity to find a lasting solution to a problem that has persisted for far too long,” he added.
The latest power failure disrupted electricity supplies across the country, with the National System Operator confirming that grid instability had caused a total system failure. Efforts to restore supply are continuing. (Newswire)
