EcoWorldly

While most Baghdad residents still do not have reliable electricity inside their homes, Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity has begun to install solar-powered streetlights in the country’s war-torn capitol.

According to a recent NPR report, several thousand lamps have already been installed, with thousands more in the works. Anhar Abdullah, chief engineer of Ministry of Electricity, said off-the-grid street lights were important for security reasons. For over five years, the Iraqi government has done little to address their issues maintaining functional electricity inside homes.

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Iraq intends to install the solar-powered lights in other cities, including Basra, Mosul, Karbala, Hilla, and Fallujah. But many residents think electricity inside should be made the priority. “We’re tired all summer because there’s no electricity,” said Fouad Mohammad, who lives in Baghdad. “We spend all our time and money chasing after fuel for the generators, for water, for gasoline, and for power. This is why we suffer.”

The police welcome the lights and have noticed more people venturing out after dark. “Before, we struggled in the darkness. We couldn’t see the cars clearly,” said Ahmad Ali, a 22-year-old police officer. “But now we can do our job normally, and we feel more confident staying out late in the street.”

Photo Credit: Jamesdale10 on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

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