Every other day, one reads about the complaints of citizens about the power cuts in the country. The National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) seems to be unable to resolve whatever it is that is making it impossible to provide a constant and reliable power supply to the citizens of the country.
A few weeks ago, the explanation was that the hosting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) was the reason for the load shedding which meant that some areas had to go for hours without electricity. This was because the need at the conference center and the places where the guests were staying was given priority.
However, since the conference ended there has not been any improvement in the supply of power. This has caused a lot of consternation among the people of the country and those who have the chance and access have repeatedly complained about it.
Recently, the Public Utilities Agency (PURA) summoned Nawec to explain the reasons for the almost constant power cuts in the Greater Banjul Area. This was said to have been necessitated by the public outcry about the power cuts.
In their explanation, Nawec cited several projects going on which include upgrading certain systems for better service delivery. Among the reasons that they gave was also the fact that in the summer there is usually a surge in demand for electricity which causes overloading and thus the power outages.
Pura urged Nawec to ensure that these projects which were said to have specific timelines are completed within the stipulated time so that they can provide sufficient, constant and reliable power supply to the people of the country.
It is hoped that Nawec will keep to their word so that the problem of power outages will become a thing of the past.
