Kabul in the dark! Afghanistan owes billions of rupees of electricity bills purchased from neighboring countries

Posted on 14th Oct 2021 by rohit kumar

The power crisis in Afghanistan has deepened. The situation has worsened after the arrival of the Taliban and the formation of the government. Let us tell you that about 80 percent of the electricity in Afghanistan is supplied through neighboring countries or Central Asian suppliers. It includes Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Apart from this, the hydropower plant at Naghlu Dam in the country is the largest power plant in the country. About 100 MW of electricity is generated from here, which provides light to about 1 lakh houses in the country. However, there is also a bitter truth that about 60-70 percent of the country's population lives in darkness.

 

Talking about the present, on Wednesday, due to the interruption of electricity supply in other provinces including Kabul, they were drowned in darkness. According to a statement issued by Afghanistan State Power Company Dr. Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), the main reason for this was a technical fault in the power coming from Uzbekistan. Measures are currently being taken to overcome this. At the same time, Sputnik has said that since the Taliban government was formed in the country, the dues of the Central Asian Electricity Supplier have not been paid. Due to paucity of money also this outstanding amount could not be paid.

 

DABAS Acting Head Safiullah Ahmedzai says that once the dues are cleared, the country will get an uninterrupted power supply. Let us tell you that after the arrival of the Taliban, the electricity board of Afghanistan has also come under it. At present, Afghanistan has to pay about $ 62 million for electricity coming from neighboring countries. Dawood Noorzai, former president of DABAS, says the Taliban failed to clear dues earlier this month. This is the reason why Kabul's electricity supply has stopped and the capital is plunged into darkness.

 

Afghanistan's power companies have approached the UN mission to clear the dues, requesting that they be provided an amount of 90 million so that they can pay the dues to the Central Asian power supplier. Let us tell you that the power supplying countries had given Afghanistan three months to pay the dues, which has now been completed. Since the formation of the Taliban government, the US has banned the withdrawal of Afghan money stashed in foreign banks. Due to this also the economic condition of the country has become very bad. According to Tolo News, DABAS is now contemplating auctioning the properties of former government officials and eminent people who have not paid the electricity bills for a long time.

Other news