BAGHDAD — Iraq declared a government holiday Monday after temperatures soared above 120 degrees amid a summer electricity crisis.
While the mercury has passed 120 degrees before, this year, the scorching temperatures coincided with the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims refrain from eating or drinking water from dawn until dusk. With Ramadan falling in the summer this year and dawn coming just after 4 a.m., those fasting will go more than 14 hours without water.
“During my 31 years of work, this is the first time . . . the government announces a day off because of the hot weather,” said Salam Solaiman of Iraq’s meteorological office.
The electricity shortages, which have deprived even government-ministry buildings of air conditioning, have become politically explosive. Amid protests sweeping the Arab world, those in Iraq have focused on poor public services, particularly power shortages. With billions of dollars poured into rebuilding the electricity sector by the U.S. and Iraq, most people blame the continuing shortages on corruption as well as incompetence.
Iraqi officials say the power grid is providing eight hours a day of electricity to Iraqis and that full electrical service will take several years to establish. In reality, most people receive four or five hours a day, with electricity on for 15 minutes to an hour at a time and then off again.
