Anger boils up in Najaf over power cut

Saturday , 04 /08 /2007 Time 5:59:12
Najaf – Voices of Iraq

Najaf, Aug 4, (VOI) – The holy Shiite city of Najaf suffered
from a power cut during the past two days after the National
Electricity Network turned off the power station that provides the city
with electricity, adding to the agony of local residents who struggled
to withstand the scorching heat of August.

A source from the Najaf Electricity Department told the independent
news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) that the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity
turned off the northern and al-Hizam power stations after the Najaf
municipal council detached the local natural gas station from the
national network.

With a temperature of 48°C, the price of ice cubes increased
dramatically. Muhammad al-Ghazali, a local resident told VOI, “I
have been searching for ice cubes since the early morning, but to no
avail. (Large) ice cubes are sold at 16,000-20,000 Iraqi dinars
(12.9-16 U.S. dollars) and people are fighting over them.”

Wondering why Najaf’s residents should be punished for a
dispute between the Ministry of Electricity and the local municipal
council, al-Ghazali called on the government to provide basic services
for the Iraqi people.

Complaining about a similar increase in fuel prices, another local
resident said that gas has been sold for 35,000 Iraqi dinars/20 liters
($28), compared with 18,000-20,000 dinars ($14.5-16) before the
electricity crisis in the city. “We are completely crippled by
heat and lack of electricity. We lost concentration. For how long will
the government allow this to continue?” he wondered.

Najaf’s Deputy Mayor Abdul Hussein Abtan announced earlier on
local al-Ghadeer TV that the municipal council had isolated the natural
gas station from the national network, while municipal council member
Birak al-Shamarty denied the news. According to al-Shamarty, the
council switched off the capacity regulator which controls the flow of
electricity to the city, but vowed to adhere to the city’s quota
for electricity.

Al-Shamarty attributed the power cut to a failure in the electricity
national network, which he said was the result of an overload on the
network. Meanwhile, a source from Najaf’s natural gas station
linked the electricity crisis in the city to a significant decrease in
gas pressure which he said deactivated two natural gas-powered units in
the local power station.
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Aswat Aliraq

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