Afghanistan: Kabul residents complain of power shortage as winter approaches

Kabul [Afghanistan], November 15 : Ahead of approaching winter, residents of Kabul expressed concerns over the power shortages as they complained of getting only seven to eight hours of electricity every day.
Kabul residents said they are living miserable lives as the authorities in the country do not pay heed to frequent power outages, Khaama Press reported.
"We have a lot of problems due to the shortage of power. When the clients see that the shop is dark, they don't come in," said Baseer Ahmad, a resident of Kabul.
"I call on the officials and Ministry of Energy and Water to pay attention to solve the issue of power if possible," said Mohammad Qurban, another resident of Kabul.
However, the authorities have claimed that the volume of electricity being imported from Uzbekistan would increase in the winter to alleviate the shortages as the Afghan private sector is also suffering from a shortage of electricity in the country, reported Khaama Press.
Afghanistan imports around 80 per cent of its electricity from neighbouring countries, mainly Central Asian nations.
Earlier in January, Uzbekistan reduced the import of electricity to Afghanistan, causing a disruption of electricity supply in a number of Afghan provinces.
Some residents of the capital Kabul urged the officials concerned to stop depending on imported power and to begin the construction of dams inside the country, reported Tolo News.
Amid an economic meltdown in Afghanistan, the industrial factories complained that the lack of electricity has affected their operations.
Afghanistan for its electricity needs mostly relies on the Central Asian countries and technical problems in transmission lines during harsh winters are going to increase the woes of Afghans.
Moreover, the financial problems and non-payment of bills had created major problems in the war-torn country after the Taliban took over Afghanistan and international aid dried up.