Iraq Faces National Power Crisis

Despite sitting on one of the world's largest oil reserves, Iraq is facing a national power crisis according to electricity Minister Aziz al-Shimari. Increased demand met with insurgent attacks, fuel shortages and industry disparity have added to the problem.

The minister says, according to a report by news agency AP, that provinces are increasingly removing their power stations off the national grid, reducing the overall power allocations for the nation as a whole which has faced four black outs in the last two days alone.

Other provinces, al-Shimari says, are failing to remove themselves off the supply grid once they have consumed their daily rations.

This, coupled with an infrastructure left to age under Saddam Hussein following UN sanctions after the Gulf War and insurgent attacks on high-tension lines running into Baghdad, has affected water supplies and created health risks in many Iraq provinces.

The Karbala province, in the south of Baghdad, has had no power for three days in what al-Shimari says is Iraq's worst power crisis in three years.

Reported by staff writer