Sri Lankans turn to social media for help as economic crisis bites

A man waits in line to buy a domestic gas tank near a distributor, amid the country’s economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on June 1, 2022. — Reuters

COLOMBO: No petrol means no work for Sri Lankan delivery rider Michael Sathis, and getting supplies has become a challenge as fuel stations run dry amid a devastating economic crisis.

Sathis sometimes had to queue all night to fill his tank until he found a Facebook group sharing regular updates on fuel supplies and even queue lengths at gas stations, one of a number of digital initiatives springing up to help struggling citizens.