Power crisis sparks fresh unrest in Iraq’s Dhi Qar – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

Residents of Al-Tar subdistrict in southern Iraq’s Dhi Qar
province staged a large protest and blocked roads with burning tires, demanding
the restoration of electricity they said had been diverted to Al-Fuhud district,
Shafaq News correspondent reported on Wednesday.

Protesters accused provincial officials of diverting
Al-Tar’s electricity allocation and redirecting it to other areas to contain
demonstrators, Shafaq News correspondent reported.

Al-Fuhud witnessed demonstrations on August 9 and 10 over
poor electricity supply, with activists blocking several roads with burning
tires and demanding the dismissal of Dhi Qar Electricity Director Mohammed
Ruwaiydi. Two demonstrators were injured when security forces dispersed the
rally.

Earlier today, Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani denied that
any part of the province’s electricity allocation would be diverted to
neighboring Dhi Qar, pointing out that the two provinces had discussed
electricity and grid problems.

Iraq’s parliament approved measures on July 27 to address
the electricity crisis, including reopening corruption cases involving the
Electricity Ministry dating back to 2005 and reviewing contracts and projects
suspected of wasting public funds. The recommendations also called for
expanding solar power and providing subsidized or interest-free loans to
households and businesses installing renewable energy systems.

Read more: Electricity output covers only one-third of Iraq’s demand