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Generally speaking, this has been one of the most awful
weeks that I have had the displeasure of having to
live so far. It is as if the entire world is
conspiring against me. But of course, it is not only
against me but against every resident of the city.
Life of late sucks. There is no electricity, no
water, and Internet access is slower than usual. As
far as the electricity goes, we were warned during
the rainy season that we would eventually be going
back to the system of 'Fereka,' or not having
electricity a couple of days a week because the
power monopoly would not be able to provide its
service users with the electricity that they should
be getting.
That is well and good, considering that we are
living in the Fifth World; we do not really have an
alternative to change our electricity provider. We
sort of just have to deal with it.
It is not that simple. The Corporation has not even
had the courtesy to come up with a schedule that is
announced publicly to let us know when exactly it is
that we will not have electricity. When I call 905,
and ask if the lights are out because it is my turn,
they tell me to wait until noon and if the
electricity does not come back, then guess what, it
must be my turn to sit in the dark for a day. It is
bad enough that the monopoly did not take the rainy
season as an opportunity to come up with a solution
for the drier seasons in the year.
I think three or four months would have been ample
time to figure out a way to supply the country, most
especially manufacturers and businesses with power
despite the lack of water. There really is no
excuse; I mean none, for us to be sitting in the
dark. Last week, there were four mornings in a row
when I came to work and there was no electricity.
Four days and hours of labour! My failures as a
worker should not be blamed on the government. But
right now, I am placing the blame squarely on their
shoulders.
We were facing the same problems last year and the
year before. Instead of doing something about it,
the Corporation's managers simply wait until the hot
season rolls around and cuts off services, which I
believe to be a fundamental right of existence, most
especially in the 21st Century.
I understand that the hydro-electric projects that
are underway are under-funded and running way behind
deadline. I understand that the electricity network
does not support the demand in the country. My
argument is that if there is only one provider in
the country, then all of these factors should be
taken into account. Just because we sit down and
accept it does not make it right.
And then, as if to rub salt into the wound, there
has also been a severe shortage of water. It is bad
enough we have to sit in the dark, now we got to be
dirty while doing it.
Is there any way to put into words having to live in
a country that does not even provide the most basic
necessity of water to the inhabitants of the its
capital city?
With the population soaring on almost a daily basis,
and the intense heat that people have to deal with,
I consider it a form of torture not being able to
have access to running water. People have to take
care of their children, the elderly, the sick,
laundry, schools, we have to eat, and we can do none
of that without water.
What sort of city am I supposed to tell people I
live in, the sort that has no water, and is at the
same time the political capital of Africa?
If that is not an oxymoron, I do not know what is.
But then, the best part of it all is, of course, the
fact that the Internet may or may not work,
depending on the day, the time, the angle of the
sun, maybe even the saint of the day. It is bad
enough we are dirty and sitting in the dark, now we
do not even have the chance to browse the Internet
for pictures of running water and floodlights that
would at least take our attention off the fact that
those things do not exist in our country.
We wonder why there is not more foreign investment
in the country; have we thought that maybe these
three things have something to do with it? Could be
a reason, or am I taking it too far?
I doubt it.
I understand that we live in a passive society that
is unable to do for itself, but there is only so
much that human beings should be subjected to.
Businesses are being affected, incomes are going
down, deadlines have been thrown to the wind and we
are becoming an even more inefficient country than
we already are.
Where is there to go but down if this is to
continue?
It is bad enough that we are dealing with 35 degree
weather in Addis, do we have to burn because of the
inefficiency of service providers as well? Is that
even just? Is that even legal? |
