UAE | General
Sharjah's power nightmare continues for second day
Clinics and banks closed as power outages torment residents for second day
- By Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter,and Nadia Saleem, Staff Reporter
- Published: 13:30 July 20, 2010
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
- People sleep on the top of a container at Industrial area 6. The blackouts started in the massive Industrial areas last Saturday. In some places such as Industrial Area 2, power has been out for the last 30 hours.
Sharjah: Power cuts continue to torment Sharjah residents as rising temperatures and high humidity contribute to making life miserable.
Thousands of people in densely populated areas spent an agonising second day without power, with many saying they plan to move out of Sharjah.
Have your say: Do you have novel ways to beat the heat?
Angry residents, who pointed out that Ramadan is barely three weeks away, said the fasting month would be ruined for them if the situation continues.
There was no response from the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa).
In some districts such as Industrial Areas 2 and 11, the power outages continued for more than 30 hours.
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The weather bureau said midday temperatures would be 41 degrees Celsius and humidity at night would climb to 70 per cent over the next couple of days.
Residents are angry that the blackout affected districts such as Al Nahda, Al Tawuun, Al Majarrah, Abu Shagara, Rolla, Jamal Abdul Nasser Street and Al Wahda without any prior notice.
"We can make arrangements [such] as staying in a hotel if we know when the power will be back," one doctor said.
Another resident, who said power went out at 1am in the Bu Daniq area, complained: "I woke up drenched in sweat."
Medical risks
A doctor has warned that stuffy apartments are a high risk for the elderly, children, diabetics and those with high blood pressure. The doctor also added that many clinics had closed and sent back patients.
Banks on Rolla Street were shut and ATMs were out of commission. Businesses have complained that the outages are affecting their productivity.
Hussain Al Mahmoudi, director-general of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Gulf News: "Sharjah government is doing everything to solve the problem, starting from upgrading power infrastructure to identifying new sources of gas [as feedstock for power generation] and managing the whole issue of electricity."
Al Mahmoudi said that Sewa's power grid was now integrated into the federal system and that had "somewhat helped the situation".
The emirate is also looking at sourcing gas from outside the country.
"There are discussions between Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum to pipe in gas. There is a big possibility that this gas might land [in Sharjah] in the near future," he said.
Video: Power cuts disrupt life in Sharjah early this year
Have you been affected by the recent power failures? What temporary solution would you accept until the problem can be permanently fixed?
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