Egyptians grapple with daily power cuts as the country grapples with a year-long energy crisis.
Planned blackouts, known as “load shedding,” have disrupted daily life for millions, particularly in southern regions where scorching temperatures exacerbate the situation.
The lack of electricity goes beyond inconvenience.
Residents in Aswan report outages lasting up to four hours, disrupting water supplies, spoiling food, and causing heatstroke.
The Aswan parliamentarian called for an exemption, highlighting the threat to citizens’ lives.
Public frustration is mounting, fueled by the government’s perceived mismanagement.
Talk show hosts, usually government supporters, are voicing their concerns.
Egyptians are especially worried as these blackouts coincide with the worst economic crisis in recent memory, with inflation and currency devaluation putting a strain on households.
Prime Minister Madbouly apologized for the extended outages this week, blaming a neighboring country’s gas field disruption.
He announced a $1.2 billion investment to secure fuel supplies and promised an end to blackouts by July’s third week.
However, Egyptians remain skeptical as the government plans to resume load shedding in the fall.
Scorching Temperatures, Power Outages Frustrate Egyptianspen_sparkThey are also bracing for electricity price hikes on top of the existing hardships.
