Okaz

Day after day and week after week, power outages continue and sometimes for long periods of time. These power outages damage our electrical equipment, such as AC units, refrigerators, washing machines, etc. This is in addition to the personal pain and suffering of those who have medical equipment and are reliant on electricity.

I have to be honest and say that I get angry with the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), especially after we call them to inquire about the reasons for power outages and to ask when our electricity will be restored. After all, power outages are annoying, especially when they occur at night. Officials at the SEC always have this answer: “It is an emergency and it will take a few minutes before the power is restored.” This does not always happen as sometimes we wait for hours in the dark and have to use candles.

Recently, I read in Okaz newspaper about residents of the eastern Jeddah neighborhood of Al-Harrazat who threatened to file a lawsuit against the SEC for continuous power outages. They said that their pain and suffering continued for three days and they were angry at the way the company dealt with the issue. The residents said that the SEC is very quick to disconnect electricity from people who do not pay their bills, yet no one holds them accountable when there is a power outage. They said that when they contacted the SEC, they were told that one of the main generators was out of order and that this affected other generators supplying the neighborhood. In the past, electricity was a luxury, but today it is a necessity.