Sharjah residents still in the dark

As thousands fume in heat and darkness, utility company's authorities refuse to explain electricity cuts.

Supermarket customers shop in the dark during a blackout in Sharjah.

Sharjah residents and workers cannot sleep, businesses are facing losses and authorities are silent as the emirate braces for a re-run of last year's summer power crisis. Residents are worried that this year could be worse than last, as power has been failing twice a day in some places. The power cuts have started earlier in the year and some people say they have been spending more hours without electricity than with it.

Though the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) gave assurances during last year's cuts that the problem would soon be solved, this year's have left them speechless. Requests to meet Ibrahim bin Dimas, Sewa's acting director, were declined yesterday and questions on the power cuts were referred to the public relations officer, who would not address them. "If it's about power outages we have no statement. We have no comment," said Abudrahman al Salman. "If we get any statement we shall give it to you all." That was likely to bring little comfort to those driving in the al Wadha and industrial areas, where the traffic lights went out yesterday, including those on the newly opened 1.8km bridge. The situation worsened as traffic police tried to divert motorists to al Wadha from the industrial area.

Ahmed bin Darwish, the director of the Sharjah police patrol unit, urged residents to be patient when delayed on roads. He said most of his team had been working morning and night to help sort out the snarled traffic. Street lights on major thoroughfares, including the Rolla and al Wahda roads, were not working on Saturday night. One motorist described passing al Wahda's new bridge as the equivalent of passing a village in rural Africa due to the scale of darkness on the bridge.

Retailers are also suffering. The Marco Polo shopping centre in the industrial area was half-dark and shoppers had to light up their phone displays to see the products they wanted to purchase. One shopper, who identified himself as Zaid, used his mobile phone to check the size of a pair of shoes he liked. "You can see the good shoes, but not the sizes," he said while using tissues to control his perspiration.

A spokesman for the Marco Polo store said all items that relied on refrigeration were being removed until they were sure of a consistent power supply. "We have a small generator but, as you can see, it can light only the front cashiers," he said. "At present we are removing food and drinks, transferring them to another branch. If the problem persists and shoppers can't come here we shall start withdrawing some stock."

Food safety is at risk with the power cuts, said Sultan al Mualla, the director general of Sharjah Municipality. He said he had already dispatched a team of inspectors to ensure unsafe food was not kept on the market. "We sympathise with traders, we know they are making huge losses, but bad food should not be kept in fridges or shelves," he said. "It should be thrown away." He urged all residents to call the municipality on 993 if they found any spoiled food on store shelves.

Workers sharing accommodations had bigger problems than bad food. Many could not stay in their rooms due to the heat but still had nowhere to go. Some were found roaming in groups on the darkened streets. "We are seven in my room, we can't breath when we stay inside," said Younus Ali, a worker who was worried that he had to go to work at 5am and had yet to have his power restored by 2am. "I have not had any rest today. We came back at the lunch break [and] there was no power. Now again at night there is no power. What is this?" @Email:[e-mail]

DUBAI // The Sharjah power cuts affected passengers of an Air India Express flight which was delayed on Saturday night by more than 24 hours. Some passengers were stranded inside Sharjah airport while others were moved to a hotel which had no electricity. Flight IX536 to Thiruvanthapuram was finally expected to leave last night after it was scheduled to depart at 12.15pm on Saturday. "It's a technical problem," said Abhay Pathak, the Air India Express regional manager in the Emirates. "There is a machine problem and the issue is with one of the computers in the aircraft. We have to wait for some equipment from India." Passengers complained they were forced to sit on the aircraft for hours before they were told they could not travel. "We were moved to a hotel in Sharjah but there was no electricity there," said Dileep Madhavan Pillai, 36, an Indian employed at a construction firm in Ras al Khaimah. About 50 construction workers on the flight were forced to stay in the airport as their visas had been cancelled and they could not re-enter the country under UAE law. * Praveen Menon