Sunday, December 02, 2007

Electricity and Water cuts

Another downside of life in Cairo. Often (usually at 2/3am) my electric just goes down for no rhythm or reason. It only lasts 10-30mins max… but I hate it when I am up and in the house on my own!

Then, even more frustrating is when the water stops…. Unfortunately for between 1 and 3 hours at a time, and usually in the afternoon when I need to shower to get out to work! I have taken to filling a few water bottles from the tap when there is water to use in case of emergencies! It's no big deal in the greater scheme of things I know. And I know that there are many families, even in Cairo who don’t have a regular water supply so I really shouldn't complain, But it’s a matter of what you get used to isn't it!

There are 2 theories to these cuts. One is just inefficiency. Things break down all the time here, and often for no apparent reason. The other makes more sense (therefore it probably isn't true!)…. In order to same water, and save on electricity the government organise down time across certain areas for short periods of time in order to save on resources. I guess with the vast numbers of people living in each square meter of the city, it probably does save them quite a lot of money!

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