Iraq Electricity Cuts Make Summer Heat Unbearable

Chronic electricity cuts in Iraq have made households cope with relentless summer highs of 48 degrees Celsius, without a source of cool air. According to Aljazeera, life has become increasingly difficult as summers become hotter, while the power supply in her home decreases. "The worst part is the [summer] heat," says Umm Adil, the 42-year-old mother of four lives in Shawaka, a working-class neighborhood in central Baghdad, who explains that she only receives two to four hours of electricity a day.

"As soon as the electricity comes back, I switch on the air conditioner for my kids," she said.

Power shortages have become endemic in Iraq—a country wrecked by a series of conflicts that have devastated its infrastructure—forcing Iraqis to buy electricity from private entrepreneurs who run power generators that can be seen on most street corners. The problem was exacerbated earlier this month after Iran stopped supplying electricity to Iraq due to its own severe power shortages. Iran has also stopped 80-megawatts power supply to Pakistan, seriously affecting businesses millions of people in the entire Makran region, including Gwadar, Pasni, Turbat and Panjgur, The Nation reported.

Pakistan is importing about 100 MW from Iran under long-term contracts at about Rs11.57 per unit to meet electricity demand in the coastal region that has no access to the national grid because of long distances and commercial viability challenges.