Electricity blackout periods mean people are limited to 3 to 6 hours/day of power

March 11, 2022

HURFOM: More than a year after the military coup, power outages are getting worse nationwide. Since March, 2022, people in Mon State have had access to electricity for only 3 to 6 hours a day.

“When waking up in the morning, the power is already cut off. We can’t cook and the water supply system is also not working. Sometimes, the power comes back on at 1 am, then we have to wake up at midnight and do all the cooking, because we don’t know when the electricity will turn off again. Now, we only have 3 to 6 hours of electricity a day,” said a Mawlamyine resident.

The military junta announced on March 6, 2022 that 24-hour blackouts will occur from March 12 to 18, 2022.

“The blackouts periods are getting worse, so we have to buy firewood and charcoal to do our cooking. Households have to buy a solar system to have lighting. We can’t afford a power generator. The households who have generators can’t operate them as they can’t afford the gasoline,” said a villager from Thanbyuzayat Township.

The price of gasoline rose to roughly 2,500 Kyat per liter on March 10. Ye residents who have to buy electricity from the private companies are paying 1,200 to 1,400 Kyat per 1kWh of electricity.

The military junta has not released a detailed time table for expected power cuts, resulting in water supply and health related problems. There is also the danger of fires due to people having to burn firewood or charcoal.

“Some people thought they were experiencing power cuts because they didn’t pay the electricity bill so they (went to the electricity office and) paid their electricity bill for the whole year. But even if they paid for their electricity usage (that they refused to pay to the military junta), power cuts still happen frequently,” said a Mawlamyine resident.

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News