Electricity shortfall hits poor Iraqis hardest
Those who can’t afford expensive generators or the fuel to run them suffer the greatest discomforts and dangers of Iraq’s extreme summer heat.![](https://cdn.iraqoilreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Highrise-electricity-heat-resized.jpg)
Highrise towers like these in Baghdad become excruciatingly hot during the summer months when electricity for running fans and air conditioners is sporadic at best. (CARMEN GENTILE/Iraq Oil Report)
BAGHDAD - Day after day, Suhail Najin climbs nine flights of stairs in the sweltering Iraqi heat to his top-floor apartment. The concrete high-rise tower he calls home soaks up the blazing summer sun, turning the building into a virtual oven. Najin's home often has no electricity to run fans or air conditioners, let alone the building's elevator.
Iraqis like Najin are suffering amid a chronic power shortage blamed on an antiquated and war-ravaged electrical grid. Most Iraqis are lucky to receive the occasional burst of electricity. The average household receives less than four hours a day.
This content is for registered users. Please login to continue.
If you are not a registered user, you may purchase a subscription.
If you are not a registered user, you may purchase a subscription.