Basra protests erupt as electricity cuts Iraq | Business and Financial Issues

Basra, Iraq – As summer heat set in, hundreds of Iraqi people poured into the streets to protest the power outages in Baghdad and the southern parts of the country.

In the oil-filled Basra city, protesters blocked highways and burned tires last week to force the local government to address the ongoing power shortages and government services.

Basra temperatures have risen above 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day. Iraqi officials responded by shortening the working hours to less than five, citing extreme temperatures.

Power outages have often led to violent protests, especially in southern Iraq, with successive governments failing to address the recurring crisis in recent years.

Power cuts, unemployment, and increased corruption were some of the main causes of major anti-government protests that began in 2019 across Baghdad and Iraq, especially Shia in the south.

Hundreds of people were killed and thousands injured in the attack, a few of which occurred before the March 2020 accident caused by the spread of coronavirus.

“Electricity is a big requirement. Its reduction is a violation of human rights, including the right to health care, safe housing, education and more, “said Ali al-Bayati, a member of the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights.

‘Obviously’

At a recent demonstration, protesters in Basra shouted “No, no to corruption” and “All parties are liars” as they promised to step up if the government did not take action.

“We are facing the same challenges we faced in 2018, 2019 and 2020. There is a lack of jobs, poor construction and continuous power cuts,” Abdelkarim Ahmed, 25, of Basra, told Al Jazeera.

“That is why we have come here to ask the authorities to resolve our grievances and give us our freedom,” he added.

In recent weeks, many observers have gathered in front of a large power company in the state of Basra in Tawaisa, demanding help.

Basra’s governor Asaad al-Eidani warned last week that he would cut off Basra’s power in Iraq if the government did not address the problem.

Ahmed threatened that if the government opened a “deaf ear”, the citizens of Basra would stage a major protest.

“We just need electricity. It is a simple thing that politicians have not been able to deal with since 2003, ”he said.

Ahmed’s friend and opponent, Abbas Hassoun, 24, told Al Jazeera that the only six hours of daily rest were arriving at his home, where 16 people, including his sick father and young children, lived.

“We have been deprived of our basic human rights. The government needs to create a long-term plan to do this. “Basra has a lot of money but it is not used for its people,” said Hassoun.

Opponents rallied before the company to distribute power to southern Basra on June 30 [Azhar Al-Rubaie/Al Jazeera]

Cooling

In an attempt to escape the electricity at home, Sami Mohsin, 38, said he often drove his children around the car in the late afternoon.

“Sometimes a car is just air conditioned, but it is cheap and damages the engine. I recently spent $ 200 to repair it, ”said Mohsin, who explained that although he pays for a generator, it is enough to provide electricity and a vacuum cleaner.

“Some people go outside Iraq in the summer to escape this, but I can’t afford it,” he added.

With many young Iraqis unemployed or underpaid, their only source of relief during the summer is the river Shatt al-Arab, where they gather for cooling off.

“I have no job and cannot afford to pay 10,000 Iraqi dinars ($ 6.85) for a swimming pool. That is why I come to Shatt al-Arab every day to drink water and have fun with my friends, “said Mohammed Ali as he sat by the river.

“I believe them [the government] can create playgrounds including swimming pools. We have to be comfortable because we live in the hottest city in Iraq. Unfortunately, they are too busy trying to destroy the world’s economy. ”

Iraqis fly to Shatt al-Arab in Basra to cool off in the summer heat [Azhar Al-Rubaie/Al Jazeera]

Causes

According to former Iraqi energy minister Luay al-Khateeb, the reasons for the power outage in Iraq are varied and complex.

“When it comes to setting up the power sector, it is not just about increasing the power supply,” al-Khateeb told Al Jazeera. “Shipping, distribution, fuel supply, maintenance and management costs a lot of money and is very important.”

Between 2005 and 2020, Iraq spent about $ 75bn on spending and operations in the group, which increased the global toll to 30GW, Al-Khateeb said.

This was a major development compared to about 20GW available in the summer of 2019, he explained, adding that the decline was due to ISIL-focused electricity, which affected Iraq’s power.

Al-Khateeb said, however, that the aging electricity grid in Iraq still needs huge sums of money to meet the needs of the growing population. He also said that previous governments had failed to develop a long-term strategy for producing gas, “which led to the burning of gas instead of taking it to Iraq’s oil fields”.

“Home electronics is still heavily funded by the government, which has led to a lack of funding for renovations and expansion,” al-Khateeb said.

“Political instability has hampered positive change in the power system in Iraq, even though the government is accepting the views of groups such as the World Bank,” he added.

Mohammed Ali and his friend are swimming in Shatt al-Arab [Azhar Al-Rubaie/Al Jazeera]

Oil cutting in Iran

Earlier this month, Iran, which had run out of money, cut off power supply to Iraq in order to force Baghdad to pay its debt debt.

Exporting oil to Iran to Iraq could account for about a third of the country’s supplies in the summer months. Singing the show has sparked fears at the violent protests that swept through Basra in 2018 and coincided with a cut off of power from Iran over non-donations.

This came before the federal election on October 10, and Iraqi energy minister Majed Hantoush stepped down, under pressure from many.

“The retiring energy minister lacked vision and strong leadership,” Harry Istepanian, an independent water and water expert in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera.

Hantoush also said he would step down within a day of Shia religious leaders Muqtada Sadr he called for his resignation.

“This is a sign of political upheaval in the electoral system. The electoral system is politically motivated and will continue to be unresolved to the extent of interfering,” Istepanian said.

“There is no way to solve the problems that electricity has been going on for so long.”

The electricity service budget is about 17 trillion dinars ($ 11bn), but 85% has been allocated to operate and rehabilitate existing facilities, he said.

“Oil repatriation from Iran seems to be the only way to reduce the current oil shortage,” Istepanian concluded.

Abdulkareem Ahmed, 25, is protesting in Basra over power cuts [Azhar Al-Rubaie/Al Jazeera]