Sharjah power cuts lead to iftar in the dark

Sharjah residents say they were hit with blackouts this week.

SHARJAH // Power cuts in the Rolla, Samnan and Khalwan areas of Sharjah this week meant some residents had to break their fast in the dark.

Cuts hit Samnan at 6pm on Wednesday and the power was not restored until three hours later.

Ahmed Khalwaj said he had to eat iftar at a restaurant.

"My wife had already prepared iftar at home but it was useless taking it while sweating, so we decided to go to a Mandi restaurant in Abu Shagara," Mr Khalwaj said.

"After the iftar, we stayed in Sharjah city centre until we were told that power had returned."

Food poisoning was also a hazard as refrigerators shut off in hot weather, said Ali Ansar, who lives in Rolla.

"Power had been off in my home on Wednesday from 7am to 11am, and all the food we had kept in the fridge was almost spoilt," Mr Ansar said. "We had to throw it away."

In Khalwan, the power went off at midnight on Tuesday and returned on Wednesday about 5am, residents said.

Mohammed Rashid, 40, an Indian, said he ate suhoor in the dark and sweated profusely while sleeping.

The Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) said it fixed the problem causing the cuts.

They were caused by a failure on Monday in one of the underground cables that carry power from a 33kw generator, said Engineer Eisa Al Zarouni, the director general of the control section.

"We have replaced the cables with new ones and power has been fully restored to all areas," Mr Al Zarouni said.