A few days ago, Sri Lanka was plunged into darkness following a nationwide power outage, with authorities attributing the disruption to a monkey that had interfered with a power station near Colombo.
As power was gradually restored, priority was given to essential services such as medical facilities and water purification plants to ensure minimal disruption to public welfare.
Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody explained that the blackout had occurred after the animal came into contact with a grid transformer, triggering an imbalance in the system. The outage began at approximately 11:00 local time (05:30 GMT), leaving millions reliant on backup generators while engineers scrambled to restore power. Officials estimated that full restoration would take several hours.
The incident quickly sparked a flurry of reactions on social media, with users both mocking the situation and criticising the country’s power infrastructure. X user Mario Nawfal commented, "A rogue monkey knocked out Sri Lanka's entire power grid after triggering a total failure at a substation in Colombo. One monkey = total chaos. Time to rethink infrastructure?"
Others referenced mythology to add humour to the situation. One user, Sreeni R, shared an illustration of the monkey god Hanuman from the Hindu epic Ramayana, recalling the tale in which Hanuman set Sri Lanka on fire during a battle with the demon king Ravana. "Sri Lanka tasted monkey business in the past," he said.
Local journalist Jamila Husain also weighed in, tweeting, "Only in Sri Lanka can a group of monkeys fighting inside a power station cause an island wide power outage."
The Daily Mirror reported that engineers had long been warning successive governments about the fragility of the national power grid. The newspaper cited an unnamed senior engineer who cautioned that the grid was in such a weakened state that even minor disturbances could lead to widespread blackouts.
Sri Lanka has faced persistent power challenges in recent years, most notably during its severe economic crisis in 2022, which saw frequent energy shortages. This latest incident reignited concerns about the country's aging power infrastructure and the urgent need for modernisation to prevent future disruptions.
