ALBAWABA - In a dramatic show of annoyance, residents of the city of Najaf's Al-Furat suburb of Kufa staged a symbolic funeral on Friday night, dragging an empty coffin marked "Electricity" as part of a demonstration against extended power outages. The protest takes place as Iraq deals with a severe energy shortage and sweltering summer heat.
Since many people are unable to run fans or air conditioners due to the present electrical constraints, the unique demonstration was planned to urge an increase in power supply across the province. In order to highlight the gravity of the situation, videos of the demonstration and the symbolic coffin were extensively circulated on social media and reported by regional Iraqi media sites.
Similar demonstrations have been held in a number of Iraqi towns in recent days as residents are left exposed by hours-long power outages that have engulfed most of central and southern Iraq.
The majority of Iraqi homes depend on private community generators that provide power for a charge, while the government finds it difficult to supply the country's energy needs. These private services, however, often lack functionality and have planned outages.
Citing public electricity's greater ability to run numerous air conditioners and lessen reliance on expensive and erratic private generators, residents are pleading with the government to prolong its duration.
Despite decades of pledges for change and investment, the frequent summer blackouts and soaring heat have inflamed popular ire and rekindled long-standing criticism of Iraq's persistent energy infrastructure failures.
