Light and Darkness
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: Whenever a new governor takes over in Kandahar province he always promises that the power supply will get better. But instead it gets worse.
Lack of electricity is not a problem for the rich and the powerful. Indeed, they have many ways to steal their electricity from the poor.
In Kandahar the electricity is allocated by neighborhood, and each section or district of the city is supposed to get three or four hours of electricity per day. But people who are wealthy or well connected manage to get themselves two or three electricity wires.
When the power goes off in one section they simply hook their line to another section. This way they always have electricity while they drain everyone else’s power supply.
Most people in Kandahar cannot afford to use a generator due to the high price of fuel. So the poor must go without electricity.
Lack of electricity is a major problem for students like myself. Only a few months ago I was studying for an exam on a hot summer night. I was happy because the electricity had finally come on and I could prepare for the exam. I remember thinking to myself: “only a few more hours of study and then I will be able to answer all the questions.” But then the electricity suddenly went off.
It was uncomfortably hot inside the house and I started to sweat profusely, so instead of studying I decided to go out. And when I went out the mosquitoes started to bite me.
The electricity did not come back that night. The following day I took the exam, and I passed it, but I could have done much better if only I had been able to study a few more hours. This is life in Kandahar. Every night we are left in the dark. Now we have a new governor but some things never change.