- The chaos we plummet into when they’re gone
In a world that’s rapidly developing, Sri Lanka seems to be heading back to the Dark Ages – literally – with all the recent power outages. On top of that, Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa has requested all Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)-affiliated heads of Local Government (LG) bodies to turn off street lights in their respective areas until 31 March, as a measure to conserve electricity.
Of course, this has added another horde of problems to our pre-existing ones. Walking alone at night – especially for women and children – was already terrifying enough with lights, and now we’ve made it easier for creeps on the road to harass us. Drivers, too, have been complaining about the lack of light, which could lead to road accidents.
Brunch spoke to members of society to see how they’ve been dealing with our dark streets and the issues they’ve faced.
From a woman’s perspective, leave aside nighttime, we feel fear and unease when walking on the road during broad daylight. While one can argue that abuse happens in the daytime too, if there are people sick enough to want to abuse someone in the daytime, there is no reason to think they wouldn’t wait for the perfect opportunity to get away with it – and the dark streets give them that opportunity.
Recently, we had a conversation with private sector worker Kishnika de Silva who told us that there is about an 800 m distance from the bus stand she gets off at and her house that’s located down a winding lane. “With the increase in tuk-tuk prices, I can’t afford to spend so much money every day to go such a small distance – even if it’s a Rs. 100 distance, it adds up,” she lamented, adding that she feels like she has to run for her life to get home. “No one should have to constantly look over their shoulder and fear for their life while doing something so commonplace as walking home and it’s time our leaders start to think more about the safety of the women in our country.”
Udari Gamage, a mother of two, told us that her teenage children walk home after their classes, and because of these street lights being off, the roads attract many drug addicts and other shady characters. “Until they come home I’m on pins and needles, because who knows what can happen to them on the way? I don’t want them getting caught up in unnecessary trouble because our Government can’t afford to pay for our safety. I don’t want my daughter to hear catcalls and not even be able to see where they’re coming from,” she expressed. She added that as women, we face a lot of harassment even in the day, but at least then there are people we can shout to for help. “But in the night when it’s dark, and people are at home, who will come to help?” she questioned, observing that it was a very sad state that citizens of Sri Lanka found themselves in today.
Increased mugging and break-ins?
In recent weeks, we have seen a few posts on social media speaking of some muggings that had allegedly taken place as well as a few house break-ins. Walking home the other day, we witnessed a neighbour complaining about her house having been broken into as well. This may well be a coincidence, or it may simply be because people have gotten desperate because of the massive increase in the cost of living, but the timing seemed to correlate with the power outages.
We reached out to Police Media Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa to see if there had been an increase in crime recently. “At the moment, we have not received any reports of an increase in crime. Crime happens in the daytime too, and we haven’t seen an increase in nighttime occurrences as of yet,” he told us, adding that because of the recent power outages and the fights breaking out in queues for fuel, food, and other scarce resources, they had instructed more Police personnel to patrol more vigilantly during the night to prevent unfortunate incidents, in certain areas more than others.
“We take the safety of our citizens very seriously and in order to keep them safe, we have stationed more officers along roads that we have deemed dangerous and unsafe,” Thalduwa assured. While it is heartening to see the Police force taking safety measures in advance, as fear grows and desperation increases, it is important to look at the fundamental issue at hand and take action – and such action is at the discretion of the Government.
Leeway for driving accidents?
Sri Lanka seems to have made a name for itself due to reckless drivers. We can all name at least one time we have shaken our fists in anger at some motorcyclist who took a risky turn, or a driver who seems to think the streets are their personal race track. Combine these reckless drivers with drivers who actually follow road rules and strip them of street lights and you’re bound to be left with a string of accidents.
Regular driver Darshan Kannangara told us that because of power cuts, taking turns on the road had become extra scary, especially when there were blind turns and people decided that they needed to cross the road at that point. “Normally you would be able to see people crossing all over Sri Saranankara Road, but at the turn towards the final stretch you need the lighting to see people,” he explained, adding that even with a headlight on, it was difficult to see them until it was almost too late.
We asked him if he had any thoughts on how this issue could be rectified, to which he sadly stated that there was no good solution. “They can’t turn on only particular lights, the best long-term solution is their plan to switch to solar-powered lights,” he commented, observing that such a move would logistically be tough right now, given the country’s economic crisis.
Another frequent driver, Fazana Ibrahim, also agreed that it was very difficult to see people crossing the road without a streetlight. Another issue she raised was that potholes could not be seen, which could potentially damage a vehicle if not manoeuvred carefully. Perhaps the most important aspect of the lack of light, as Ibrahim pointed out, was overall safety.
“I worry about my safety and that of my daughters when we are in the car. If anyone is not confident driving with limited light, then they are putting the passengers in the car at risk also.” She also stated that due to this, she avoids taking byroads as far as possible and opts for the main road even if it’s more congested as the lives of her children are more precious to her than the time she can save by taking a shortcut.
One small change can have a huge impact – while we took street lights for granted, they seemed to have been our silent guardians, and now that they’re gone, everyone on the road – whether pedestrian, motorist, or passerby – is exposed to an increased danger in some form. Isn’t it high time to start putting the safety and wellbeing of our citizens first? How can this happen? Only time will tell.