The average daily electricity supply disconnections have risen from 2,660 last year to 3,443 this year, according to Electricity Consumers’ Association Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika.
Citing Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) data, Dhammika said that unpaid electricity bills led to 970,933 disconnections in the year 2023.
Power disconnections surged from January to June 2024, with 628,286 disconnections recorded.
This includes 505,949 households, 8,579 industries, 2,090 religious places, 39 hotels, 359 government institutions, and 111,276 shops and other facilities, Dhammika said.
Consumers are increasingly finding it difficult to pay their electricity bills, he said, compounded by the CEB’s inefficiencies and excessive charges.
Dhammika alleged that desperate consumers have resorted to pawning valuables, selling household plants, and facing extreme financial distress to settle their bills. (Newswire)