As the Middle East war disrupts oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, Sri Lanka has switched to a four-day work week to conserve fuel, while Bangladesh has begun rationing fuel and Pakistan has moved offices to remote work to alleviate a looming fuel crisis.

As conflict in the Middle East disrupts global oil routes, Sri Lanka has switched to a four-day work week in an effort to conserve fuel and avoid another crippling energy crisis, Channel News Asia reported.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping corridors for oil, has been effectively closed after Iran retaliated against the US and Israel. As the conflict now enters its third week, countries that rely heavily on imported fuel are scrambling to expand supplies.

Sri Lanka, which is still recovering from its devastating economic collapse in 2022, has acted quickly to reduce fuel consumption before the situation worsens.

Sri Lanka braces for another fuel squeeze

State institutions across the country will operate only four days a week from Wednesday as part of emergency measures to conserve energy reserves, officials said.

Commissioner-General of Essential Services Prabhat Chandrakirti said the new schedule will also apply to schools and universities and may remain in effect indefinitely.

"We are also asking the private sector to follow suit and declare a holiday every Wednesday from now on," he told reporters after an emergency meeting chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The move is designed to reduce travel and ease pressure on the country's fuel supply.

"We must prepare for the worst, but hope for the best," Dissanayake told senior officials, according to a person who attended the meeting.

Essential services such as hospitals, ports and emergency operations will continue to operate as usual.

Fuel ration returns

In addition to the shorter work week, the government has already begun rationing fuel.

From March 15, motorists can only use 15 liters of petrol or diesel per week, while public transport operators can get up to 200 liters.

Officials estimate that the country's petrol and diesel reserves could last about six weeks, although any disruption to new shipments could quickly exacerbate the crisis.

Sri Lanka imports all of its oil and relies on coal purchases to generate electricity. Refined petroleum products are sourced mainly from Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea, while crude oil used in the country's Iranian-built refinery is imported from the Middle East.

Authorities have also suspended public events and asked civil servants to work from home wherever possible to limit travel and fuel consumption.

The measures have revived memories of the country's economic collapse in 2022, when Sri Lanka suffered from a foreign exchange shortage and was unable to pay for essential imports.

The crisis caused months of fuel, food, and medicine shortages and forced the country to default on $46 billion in foreign debt.

Since then, Colombo has secured a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund, but officials fear that a prolonged disruption in global oil supplies could threaten a fragile recovery.

Broad regional stress

The pressure is not limited to Sri Lanka.

Across South Asia, governments are scrambling to manage energy supplies as the Middle East conflict rattles energy markets.

Bangladesh has begun restricting fuel sales, after the country's national oil company warned that the country could only have two weeks of diesel reserves if consumption is not reduced by at least 25 percent.

Authorities in Dhaka have deployed mobile courts to crack down on fuel hoarding and illegal sales, but long queues have formed at petrol stations as motorists rush to refill their tanks.

In an effort to reduce travel and fuel consumption, Pakistan has taken steps to cut energy consumption, moving many offices to remote work and moving university classes online.

However, for Sri Lanka, the stakes are especially high.

With memories of the 2022 crisis still fresh, its economy is slowly stabilizing. Therefore, the country is trying to ensure that the global turmoil in the Gulf does not once again disrupt its energy supplies and recovery.