There is no denying the fact that the electricity supply situation in this country has deteriorated abysmally for the past two months or so.
From Banjul to Brikama, people have literally being thrown into darkness, making life very difficult for everyone.
Indeed, this state of affairs is, to say the least, strange as NAWEC has over the past several years commissioned new generators, much to the excitement of Gambians.
What makes the situation even more confusing is the fact that, despite the power outage, cash power is expensive and consumers who are still using the old metres are billed heavily for electricity and water consumption.
These bills sometimes run very high, so much so that consumers who are unable to settle their bills usually have their metres disconnected.
One thing NAWEC should understand is that in return for their heavy bills, citizens expect to be given excellent services.
But this is not usually the case!
Power outage is frequent, yet electricity bills and water rates remain astronomical. The reasoning is that NAWEC is not getting enough to meet its mounting costs.
Sometime ago, it was even said that NAWEC was not able to meet its obligations to the public, because consumers defaulted in settling of bills.
But with the Cashpower meters now installed in most households, we now have cause to disbelieve this premise.
The benefits of having uninterrupted power supply day in day out are too numerous to state here. Suffice to note that electricity is the pivot of any modern economy.
In this dire situation, it is imperative that we ask: What is to be done about NAWEC’s present situation?
“I’m not frightened of the darkness outside. It’s the darkness inside houses I don’t like”.
Anonymous
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