Power cut in Sharjah leaves many in hot misery

Technical failure on Friday night causes long and unpleasant hours for hundreds

SHARJAH // Hundreds of residents in the emirate’s Butainah area sweltered at the weekend because of a power cut.

Mohammed Yahia, a resident, said it forced people to use the stairs instead of lifts amid temperatures that were forecast to exceed 50°C in parts of the country.

“We stayed up all night in the hot weather. It was chaos,” he said.

Abid, a fellow resident, said about five buildings were affected. “I have neighbours who took their kids outside and they were crying because of the hot weather,” he said.

He and other frustrated residents took to social media to complain and seek information about the situation.

They were left without electricity from 11pm on Friday until 4.30am on Saturday.

“A technical error caused the blackout as a few power lines couldn’t handle the demand for excess power,” said Dr Rashid Al Leem, director of Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority.

The use of old electrical ma- terials affected the buildings and contributed to the problem.

“Technicians fixed the problem in several buildings, while a few other buildings require some more work,” said Dr Al Leem.

The authority has been running awareness campaigns about the factors that contribute to power failures. The authority said residents did not follow its instructions to conserve energy during hours of peak demand. Limited power supply was among the causes of cuts, said Siva Kumar, an electrician at Al Sumaa Electrical Switch Gear.

“It’s not always bad weather that causes power cuts. Sometimes it’s a problem with the equipment,” he said.

“Many workers in buildings and residential areas don’t replace old equipment. During peak hours, there is a heavy load on the electrical grid.”

In 2015, Sewa replaced power generators and removed electricity pylons in several neighbourhoods, and placed power cables underground.