Shabak residents demand solution to power crisis; Electricity Directorate promises action soon

Although electricity services have improved in the city of Çil Axa and its surrounding countryside in the Jazira Canton following the installation of electronic electricity meters, this improvement has not reached the three villages of Khirbi Jehwa, Abira, and Shabak. Residents there still rely mainly on private generators ("ampere" generators) and solar panels because they lack a regular public electricity supply.

Shabak, located northwest of Çil Axa, is one of the largest villages in the area. It has a population of around 5,000 people, living in approximately 700 houses belonging to 900 families. Residents not only suffer from limited electricity hours but also from complete power outages in large parts of the village due to ongoing transformer failures.

The northeastern section of the village, home to around 400 families, experiences frequent blackouts because the existing 200-kilowatt transformer is overloaded and unable to meet the electricity needs of so many households, causing repeated breakdowns.

Meanwhile, the southern part of the village, which includes around 150 homes, has been without electricity since 2023 after the transformer serving the area was struck by lightning and completely went out of service.

At the time, residents collected US$800 to repair the transformer at their own expense. However, it was struck by lightning again shortly afterward, causing irreversible damage. Due to difficult economic conditions, residents say they can no longer afford another repair.

The suspension of subsidized diesel supplies for private generators following the installation of electronic meters has further worsened conditions, especially during the recent period of high temperatures. Many families now depend solely on solar panels, which remain too expensive for many households.

In this regard, Ramadan Murad, co-chair of the Shabak Village Commune, said the village's service committee has followed the issue from the beginning, repeatedly contacted the Electricity Directorate, and submitted official reports calling for a permanent solution.

He explained that the commune has requested the urgent repair of the damaged transformer serving the southern section of the village, as well as the installation of a new transformer in the northeastern section, where the current transformer cannot supply electricity to nearly 400 homes, resulting in continuous overloads and power cuts.

Murad added that the ongoing electricity problem, together with the suspension of generator services due to the lack of diesel fuel, has placed residents under severe hardship. He urged the relevant authorities to resolve the issue before conditions worsen further.

During a visit to the village, several residents told ANHA that years of power outages have had a direct impact on their daily lives, particularly during the summer. They said repeated appeals, official letters, and visits to the Electricity Directorate have so far resulted only in promises of repair.

Residents also said they are no longer financially able to repair the transformer themselves as they did previously. They called on the responsible authorities to repair the transformer serving the southern section of the village and provide an additional transformer for the northeastern section, where about 400 families are affected by excessive pressure on the electricity network.

They stressed that continued power cuts, alongside the suspension of diesel supplies for generators, have intensified their daily suffering amid soaring temperatures. They emphasized that access to electricity is one of the most basic public services that should be available to all citizens, just as it has improved in other parts of Çil Axa.

To learn the position of the relevant authorities, ANHA interviewed Dilkash Hajo, an official at the Çil Axa Electricity Directorate. He said the directorate is reviewing the commune's request and will work to repair the damaged transformer as soon as possible to restore electricity to the southern section of the village.

Hajo concluded by saying that the directorate currently has no spare transformers in its warehouses. However, if new transformers become available, it will consider the residents' request to provide an additional transformer for the northeastern section, helping reduce pressure on the electricity network and improve electricity services in the village.

a.k

ANHA