Kabul residents decry worsening power outages, demand urgent action

Kabul [Afghanistan], August 2 (ANI): Residents across several districts of Kabul are raising concerns over persistent and worsening electricity outages, with some claiming they receive less than six hours of power per day, reported Tolo News.
"We are not satisfied with the electricity service. The bills arrive quickly, but the power doesn't. The nights are hot--while adults can cope, children suffer greatly from the heat and mosquitoes," said Aqa Shirin, a resident of the 22nd district.
Abdul Qadir, who lives in Kabul's 8th district, shared a similar grievance. "Power problems are serious. I work during the day, and when I come home at night, electricity is only available for part of the night."
Tolo News reported that citizens have called on the national electricity company, Breshna, to address the problem at its roots.
"Our demand is to have electricity supplied in line with our needs and at acceptable quality. If 24-hour power isn't possible, at least 12 hours would help solve our problems," said Elyas, a resident of the 3rd district.
Imranullah from the 5th district echoed the urgency: "Power problems are severe, and our lives depend entirely on electricity. Without it, there's no water in the house, and household appliances can't be used. We ask the government to ensure electricity is supplied."
According to Tolo News, former Breshna CEO Amanullah Ghalib has attributed the issue to structural and capacity limitations. "One of the challenges is the limited capacity of the power line that passes through Salang, which cannot carry more than 300 to 340 megawatts. This can be resolved by constructing a 500-kilovolt line," he said.
He added, "However, a more fundamental issue in Kabul is the lack of capacity to absorb electricity, which requires the installation of substations. Two substation projects are already planned, but their completion will take one to two years."
Despite efforts to obtain an official comment, Breshna has not responded, Tolo News reported. However, the company's CEO had earlier said that contracts worth nearly $600 million were signed last year alone for the production of over 600 megawatts of domestic electricity. (ANI)