Power outages in several governorates have led to water cuts, forcing residents to depend on manual pumps for water. Residents of some villages in Bassioun, Gharbiya, threatened to stage a protest in front of the governorate headquarters on Thursday if the government‘s load-shedding policy continues. In Luxor, water pumping and sanitary drainage stations have stopped working due to a weak power supply. Residents of Armant, Luxor, filed group reports at the Armant police station against water and electricity officials. Members of village and city local councils filed complaints with Luxor's governor and water and electricity authorities, calling for a quick solution to the problem. Khaled Hussein, head of the National Organization for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage in Luxor, said the weak power supply has disabled water pumping stations, and diesel and gas oil are being used instead of electricity. Hussein said sanitary drainage stations pose a greater problem since they may potentially explode and flood streets, causing serious health and environmental problems. He said he submitted a memorandum to the Housing Minister, informing him of the developments. In Gharbiya, dozens of residents from Bassioun--a village which has been out of electricity for 15 days--filed complaints with the Minister of Electricity and the governor. Additionally, they threatened to organize a protest tomorrow in front of the headquarters of the governorate if the power cut continues. Khaled Allam, a resident of another village in Gharbiya, said residents will file 12 reports with the attorney general to complain about the policies of the electricity company. Allam added that the two-week blackout has ruined electric equipment and spoiled stored food. In Kafr el-Sheikh, residents suffered a three-hour power cut which caused losses to bakeries and restaurants. In Monufiya, most villages still suffer from power cuts. In Minya, Khairi Mohamed Fouad, a member of the local council, said lighting reduction on highways has led to road accidents and an increase in theft. He added that the local council is discussing other ways to reduce power consumption. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
