Syria Power Crisis: Electricity shortages rise amid heatwave
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Syrians are suffering from a complicated crisis. Electricity shortages appear to have risen amid a heatwave ravaging the country. Zahraa Alderzi reports. 

This is Damascus when the electricity goes off at night, a symbol of suffering for Syrians amid an ongoing heatwave. But this crisis is nothing new.

A resident in Damascus "The electricity situation is in chaos. We have to use generators because the electricity usually only lasts for an hour. But the generators only work on diesel, and we can only find it on the black market for unaffordable prices."

A resident in Damascus "When the weather is cool, we go out on the roofs and balconies. But it's too hot now, and there is no electricity. Life is hard without electricity."

A resident in Damascus "Electricity is life, we need it to draw water. There is no electricity. We need it for everything. People are poor and exhausted."

Ever since war erupted in Syria, many power plants and gas lines have been destroyed or damaged. This is in addition to the destruction and loss of gas lines and fields, which are needed in the power generation process.

Syria's government is seeking to invest in renewable energy as a possible solution.

FAWAZ AL-ZAHER General Manager, Public Establishment for Distribution Syrian Ministry of Electricity "Syria's electrical systems were once the best in the region. We had 11 generating stations, but they've been damaged. The damages were roughly five trillion Syrian pounds in 2020. We are working on not losing power. We are planning to use renewable energy sources, like solar and wind. We have contracts to generate 300 megawatts of energy over the next few years."

Electricity generation has decreased to 25 percent compared to the pre-war period. And Syrians are hoping things can get back to normal soon.

ZAHRAA ALDERZI Damascus "The electricity sector has seen heavy damages since the war began in 2011. Even though it wasn't quite up to snuff before the war, shortages in electricity now have still have greatly affected daily life, business, and economic circles and it doesn't look like it can be fixed anytime soon. Zahraa Alderzi, CGTN, Damascus."