Kabul residents slam power loadshedding

KABUL): Some Kabul residents have alleged electricity remains cut off to their houses but commercial centres and government buildings are enjoying an uninterrupted supply.

Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) says the main reason behind power outages is heavy load on transformers. As a result, electricity supply remains suspended to residential areas in daytime to prevent a possible fire breakout.

Zabihullah, a resident of the Deh Afghanan area, told Pajhwok Afghan News on Wednesday the loadshedding began at 7am and ended at 7pm in residential areas.

The month-old phenomenon was the result of massive power consumption by shops, restaurants and government buildings, he believed.

“The officials concerned want to earn huge money. They deprive residents of electricity and supply it to businessmen who pay them handsomely,” the resident alleged.

He said there were 10,000 houses in Deh Afghanan, lacking electricity. The government should pay attention to resolving the problem, he demanded.

DABS says commercial price of one kilowatt is 10 afghanis and 1.5afs for residential use. In areas where 300 to 700 kilowatts of electricity is consumed, the price of one kilowatt is four afghanis, but it jumps to six afghanis for those consuming more than 700 kilowatts.

Zabihullah said they had shared the problem with the officials concerned, but to no avail.

Nqibullah, a DABS official, confirmed the problem, saying they were unable to ensure power supply to all areas simultaneously. “The power is supplied to residents at night and to markets, shops and governmental offices in daytime,” he explained.

“When there is heavy load on transmission lines, we suspend electricity supply in line with directives from the city power department,” he said.

Supply to their neighbourhood remained suspended from 9am to 7pm, complained Hashmatullah, a resident of Haji Yaqub Square. But shops and restaurants had proper access to power, he said.

Dwellers of Chahar Qala Wazirabad, Qala Zaman Khan, Chehlsatoon, Company, Airport and other areas also complain about the problem.

DABS Marketing Manager Mirwais Alami, however, said the shortage was due to weak transformers that could not supply power to all consumers at the same time.

The process of installing new transformers and extending lines to different parts of the city was underway, he said, hoping the problem would be resolved soon.

According to DABS, 340 megawatts of power is daily consumed in Kabul, with 250 megawatts being imported from Uzbekistan and the rest produced domestically.

mds/ma/mud

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