Dan Murphy reports from Baghdad that the situation in the capital is rapidly deteriorating. It is down to only 3 hours of electricity a day. 2500 persons have been killed in religious reprisal attacks since late February. And not only are the militias of religious parties powerful, but now each neighborhood is throwing up its own militia.
Today, Baghdad appears to be more divided and war-torn than at any point since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. Most basic services are at an all-time low (Baghdad is averaging about three hours of power a day) and traditionally mixed Shiite and Sunni Arab neighborhoods continue to feel the impact of the slow seeping away of their diversity as families flee across the city's confessional front lines.
Here we are in the first days of 2006. What does the `6' symbolize? How about- 6 hours of no electricity for every one hour of electricity? Or... 6 hours of waiting in line for gasoline that is three times as expensive as it was in 2005? Or an average of six explosions per day near our area alone? ... "B. why has the price of these lousy CDs gone up so much???" I demanded from the shop owner who is also a friend, "Don't tell me your supplier has also pushed the prices up on you because of the gasoline shortage?" I asked sarcastically. No- supplies cost the same for him- he has not needed to stock up yet. But this is how he explained it: his car takes 60 liters of gasoline. It needs to be refueled every 2-3 days. The official price of gasoline was 50 Iraqi dinars before, so it cost him around 3000 dinars to fill up his car, which was nearly two dollars. Now it costs 9000 Iraqi dinars IF he fills it up at a gas station and not using black market gasoline which will cost him around 15,000 dinars- five times the former price- and this every two to three days. He also has to purchase extra gasoline for the shop generator which needs to be working almost constantly, now that electricity is about four hours daily. "Now how am I supposed to cover that increase in my costs if I don't sell CDs at a higher price?"
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"B. why has the price of these lousy CDs gone up so much???" I demanded from the shop owner who is also a friend, "Don't tell me your supplier has also pushed the prices up on you because of the gasoline shortage?" I asked sarcastically. No- supplies cost the same for him- he has not needed to stock up yet. But this is how he explained it: his car takes 60 liters of gasoline. It needs to be refueled every 2-3 days. The official price of gasoline was 50 Iraqi dinars before, so it cost him around 3000 dinars to fill up his car, which was nearly two dollars. Now it costs 9000 Iraqi dinars IF he fills it up at a gas station and not using black market gasoline which will cost him around 15,000 dinars- five times the former price- and this every two to three days. He also has to purchase extra gasoline for the shop generator which needs to be working almost constantly, now that electricity is about four hours daily. "Now how am I supposed to cover that increase in my costs if I don't sell CDs at a higher price?"
An insurgent attack on a major power plant near Baghdad on April 30th has caused severe electricity shortages for nearly six million households. For three consecutive days Baghdad residents have received less than one hour of electricity per day and the Ministry of Electricity said it would probably take a week or more to restore the power to its previous level, which was six hours daily.With summer beginning and temperatures rising, residents are expressing frustration. "I've lost all the meat I had in my refrigerator because my generator's broken," said Baghdad shopkeeper Ahmed el-Zein. "Insurgents attack the plants to hurt the government, but it's the innocent population that suffers.Officials say it will take about two years and massive funding to achieve the minimum power levels needed to sustain electricity for Iraq's population.
With summer beginning and temperatures rising, residents are expressing frustration. "I've lost all the meat I had in my refrigerator because my generator's broken," said Baghdad shopkeeper Ahmed el-Zein. "Insurgents attack the plants to hurt the government, but it's the innocent population that suffers.
