Whenever there is a power cut, people are unable to use their phones to find out the reason. Officials at the electricity company claim that the number of calls the company receives after a power cut makes it impossible to answer all of them. Can this be true? Aren’t plenty of phone lines available everywhere these days? Last Friday, there was a power cut in Jeddah which lasted from 3 to 6 in the morning. Now we all know that the month of August is one of our hottest and most uncomfortable — which means we will need plenty of electricity for air-conditioning.
At the time of the power cut, people in Jeddah tried to call the company but there was no answer. In the end, they called their relatives and friends since nobody could sleep because of the heat and humidity. In addition to the discomfort people felt, there was also a problem with frozen food and food in refrigerators. In the developed world, companies which supply electricity are required by law to notify subscribers of the date and time of any power cuts. If subscribers are not notified, they have the right to demand compensation from the company for damages. These laws did not appear from nowhere.
They were passed because of the company’s responsibility to subscribers and also because the company is able to tell when there will be a power cut and how long the cut will last. In developed countries, there are no power cuts at critical times of day; the cuts are planned to cause a minimum of disruption and inconvenience.
Surely the Kingdom’s electric companies which come under the Ministry of Electricity and Water have the technology to tell them about the problem before it happens, when it will happen and how long it will last. I am equally sure that the companies have the ability to notify subscribers of problems. If the companies are unable to do this, then they are not worthy of being a company and are obviously unable to provide the service.
Arab News From the Local Press 13 August 2003
