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Iraq's Power Grid Is Near Collapse

Insurgents target plants, and provinces are disconnecting from the system

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 4, 2007 7:01 PM CDT

(Newser) – Iraq’s power grid is teetering on the edge of collapse as insurgents destroy almost any attempt to restore power and the country’s fractured government is stalled, the AP reports. With enough power for only half of demand, there have been four nationwide blackouts in the last two days. Gasoline prices have also spiked to nearly $5 a gallon, making it affordable only to the wealthy.

Provinces are disconnecting power plants from the system, saying that  Baghdad is consuming  more electricity than it returns. Meanwhile regions are coping with water shortages and overflowing sewage as temperatures top 110 degrees. "We no longer need television documentaries about the Stone Age. We are actually living in it,” said one Karbala vendor.

Umm Alaa fills a water can in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007. The Baghdad water supply has been severely affected by power blackouts and cuts that have affected pumping and filtration stations.  Iraq's electricity grid could collapse any day because of insurgent...
Umm Alaa fills a water can in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007. The Baghdad water supply has been severely affected by power blackouts and cuts that have affected...   (Associated Press)
Abdul Amir Hussein connects a network of water hoses to apartments in a central Baghdad, Iraq complex Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007. The Baghdad water supply has been severely affected by power blackouts and cuts that have affected pumping and filtration stations. Iraq's electricity grid could collapse any day because of...
Abdul Amir Hussein connects a network of water hoses to apartments in a central Baghdad, Iraq complex Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007. The Baghdad water supply has been severely affected by power blackouts and...   (Associated Press)
The Abu Mustafa family eats dinner by the light of an oil lamp in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq  Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007. The family lives on a block that gets only one or two hours of electricity per day. Iraq's electricity grid could collapse any...
The Abu Mustafa family eats dinner by the light of an oil lamp in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007. The family lives on a block that gets only one or two hours...   (Associated Press)
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