Power cuts continued across governorates Monday, with little sign of swift solutions in the making. Facing mounting pressure, the Electricity Ministry issued orders to increase the load on the grid, a ministry source said. But he added that this would lead to a total blackout in the national power network if a breakdown takes place. All cities in Sharqiya Governorate had power cuts, and Facebook users called for not paying electricity bills to protest the blackouts. The blackouts often lead to water cuts as well in places where the water supply depends on electricity. Some activists accused ministry officials of deliberately cutting power. Ahmed Hassan, a member of the National Association for Change activist group, said all electricity officials belong to the ousted regime. In Minya, citizens filed reports to police, accusing officials of neglecting their work and cutting power permanently without prior notice, as well as not following plans to alternate power cuts in different areas. Blackouts in Port Said surged to three times a day and for longer periods. Shops owners buying clothes were angered over power cuts occurring at the peak of the sales season. Young men angry about the power cuts organized a protest in Damietta as trade and industrial movement was paralyzed. Shops closed earlier than usual due to repeated blackouts. In Daqahlia, power cuts continued in different villages from four to 10 hours, especially during iftar time. Darkness spread on the Alexandria corniche for more than five hours, while other areas of the city also suffered blackouts. Citizens grew angry over the cuts and what they viewed as officials' disregard of high temperatures and fasting times. Power was cut in Kafr al-Sheikh Governorate's 10 cities to decrease the load of the electrical grid. Aswan meanwhile fell into darkness for half an hour in all areas and in facilities such as hospitals, which used generators for lighting and medical equipment. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
