DAMMAM, 11 August 2003 — The Eastern Province continues to endure intense heat and humidity. These are made worse by frequent power cuts in the cities of Dammam, Alkhobar and other areas. Residents complain the lack of electricity has made their lives miserable and uncomfortable.
On Saturday night there was power cut in the Petromin District, causing confusion and hardship to residents. Since the area is near the sea, humidity is very high, and without air-conditioning, even normal breathing becomes difficult.
The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), however, acted swiftly and power was restored in an hour.
Power cuts are recurring summer problems in the Eastern Province. For this reason, the SEC has created a special committee to monitor power supply and rectify problems as soon as possible.
The recent statement by Water and Electricity Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, to top SEC officials that immediate measures must be taken in order to prevent power cuts has had the desired effect here. The SEC has been responding swiftly to complaints.
Power cuts are major problems in remote areas. In some places power is produced by generators and a small problem with the generator can leave many people without electricity for several hours.
The SEC has now created a special committee for these areas where back-ups are always available in case of power failure.
In Alkhobar’s Bayuoni and Thuqba, power tripping in summer has become routine. The SEC this year identified all major trouble spots and prepared a special team to eliminate frequent power cuts in those areas.
In the past two weeks, however, there have been instances of power tripping of shorter duration in Subaikha and Thuqba.
In Dammam’s Abdullah Fouad District, there have been reports of power fluctuations damaging household appliances.
