from MARIO RAJOMAZANDRY in Antananarivo, Madagascar
Madagascar Bureau
ANTANANARIVO, (CAJ News) – PROTESTS have rocked Madagascar after the national electricity introduced power cuts in the Indian Ocean island nation.
It is the latest country in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional bloc to introduce such restrictions amid a challenge of demand exceeding supply.
This adds to the volatility in the nation that suffers from regular protests against political problems.
Protests over power shortages are forecast to continue through late August.
The Jirama, Madagascar’s national electricity utility, recently reported a drop in electricity production following an incident at the Andekaleka hydropower plant caused by low water levels.
This has forced the parastatal to resume rolling power cuts, lasting from three to four hours daily.
Lack of power has also limited the provision of water in some areas of the capital, Antananarivo.
Madagascans have responded through sporadic protests especially in the “Cite des 67Ha” area in western Antananarivo, where outages have exceeded planned schedules.
There, residents have been gathering at nightfall during the outages.
Authorities have heightened security in a country where the administration of President Andry Rajoelina regularly faces protests.
“Further protests and localized disruptions are likely in the coming weeks as the utility continues to implement power cuts,” a security expert said.
A country of 32 million people, the world’s second-largest island country (after Indonesia), also bears the brunt of climate charge, resulting in floods and drought.
– CAJ News