Egypt’s government extended daily power cuts to three hours on Sunday and Monday, an hour longer than usual, due to a surge in domestic electricity consumption amid a heatwave, according to a cabinet statement.
Since July of last year, most areas have experienced scheduled two-hour daily power cuts due to load shedding resulting from declining gas production, increased demand, and a shortage of foreign currency.
In recent weeks, a shortage of gas supplies led to temporary shutdowns at fertiliser and chemical plants.
The blackouts, which started last summer as demand for air conditioning increased, have caused frustration among citizens, disruptions for businesses, and several reported deaths.
In one instance, saxophonist Mohammed Ali Nasr tragically fell to his death earlier this month in an elevator shaft in the coastal city of Alexandria.
His brother informed a local TV show that Mohammed was trapped in the elevator during a power cut.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi touted restoring and enhancing power supplies as one of his achievements in the years following the ouster of Mohamed Mursi from the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013.
Officials attribute power cuts to increased demand from Egypt’s growing population of 106 million and ongoing development projects.
Since the onset of power cuts, some Egyptians have been sharing or criticising previous official posts about improved power supplies. Subsequently, some of these posts have been deleted.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: Nigeria Police arrest killers of retired Army General Udukwere in Abuja