Herat industry hit by halt to power supply from Iran

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): The production of most factories in Herat City has been affected after Iran recently cut off the power supply to the province, an official said on Monday.

As a result of technical problems, the neighboring country disconnected the supply of its 70MW of electricity to the border province.

Toryalai Ghosi, deputy head of commerce and industry for Herat, acknowledged to Pajhwok Afghan News the suspension of power supply from Iran and said the production of the local industry had declined.

He said local businesspersons always suffered losses due to lack of electricity or low voltage. Industrial units needed a stable power supply, he said,

Naseer Ahmad Shin Dandi, head of a food-processing factory, complained their production had fallen after the halt to power supply from Iran.

The business community had suffered losses running into millions of afghanis due, he said, asking the government to focus on domestic power generation.

Ahmad Zia, a resident of Herat City, called electricity one of the key needs of the people. But Herat had been in darkness over the past few days, he said.

He asked the Da Afghanistan Breshna Shirkat to be ready to cope with challenges and ensure electricity supply to the people.

Herat Breshana Shirkat Director Maulvi Khair Mohammad Meraj said Iran had cut off electricity supply due to some technical issues.

He informed Iranian authorities had been contacted and the technical issue would be resolved in a couple of days.

In winter, the electricity supply from Iran and Turkmenistan is often disrupted by technical issues. Such disruptions inflict financial losses on people and the local industry.

nh/mud

Views: 152