Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reported how power cuts in Egypt‘s rural areas are preventing citizens from performing their jobs and limiting their access to water.
Development Diaries reports that the government of Egypt is limiting electricity use by introducing daily power outages due to a rise in electricity demand.
But according to the rights organisation, the government’s decision is putting people’s economic and social rights at risk.
The cuts, it is understood, appear to last longer in rural areas, which have higher poverty rates, and have left many people without power amid soaring temperatures, and limited water.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly had claimed that the cuts, which started on 22 July, after a week of unexpected blackouts, were intended to relieve strain on the country’s power infrastructure caused by rising demand.
Government officials also claim that insufficient gas supplies for power plants were a contributing factor to the current electrical problem.
In April 2023, Egypt’s electricity consumption was estimated to have been 13,000,000,000 kilowatts per hour (kWh).
The previous figure for March 2023 was 13,258.000 kWh, so this represents a decrease, according to figures from Committee on Electronic Information Communication (CEIC).
In order to provide reliable, affordable, and accessible power to the end user, it is necessary for the government assures adequate and sustainable electricity generation and supply.
The government must recognise everyone’s right to clean, accessible, and affordable electricity.
Development Diaries calls on the Egyptian government to invest in alternative sources of energy and balance the power cuts to ensure that rural dwellers who have higher poverty rates are not negatively impacted.
Source: HRW
Photo source: Reuters