Rolling blackouts become regular affair in Afghanistan as power supply fall out of balance
Nov 25, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], November 26 : Amid a lack of power supply and severe technical issues, rolling blackouts and unavailability of optimum power supply have become a regular affair in Afghanistan.
Khaama Press reported citing the Taliban-run Afghan state electricity company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) and stated that blackouts and load-shedding in Kabul and other provinces are caused by technical issues in Uzbekistan.
As the winters approach, the situation in Afghanistan continues to become more gruesome as power outages leave the provinces in complete darkness across Afghanistan.
The operations director of DABS told the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency that Uzbekistan is one of Afghanistan's main electrical suppliers and that the problem with the blackouts would soon be resolved, Khaama Press reported.
Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August of last year, power outages have continued. Periodic power outages caused by terror groups' regular demolition of electricity pylons in the northern provinces of the nation constituted a serious problem for power delivery.
Residents of Kabul expressed concerns over the power shortages as they complained of getting only seven to eight hours of electricity every day several times. In early November, 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.
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.