Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

Residents of Al-Tar subdistrict in southern Iraq’s Dhi Qar province staged a large protest and blocked roads with burning tires, demanding the restoration of electricity they said had been diverted to Al-Fuhud district, Shafaq News correspondent reported on Wednesday.

Protesters accused provincial officials of diverting Al-Tar’s electricity allocation and redirecting it to other areas to contain demonstrators, Shafaq News correspondent reported.

Al-Fuhud witnessed demonstrations on August 9 and 10 over poor electricity supply, with activists blocking several roads with burning tires and demanding the dismissal of Dhi Qar Electricity Director Mohammed Ruwaiydi. Two demonstrators were injured when security forces dispersed the rally.

Earlier today, Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani denied that any part of the province’s electricity allocation would be diverted to neighboring Dhi Qar, pointing out that the two provinces had discussed electricity and grid problems.

Iraq’s parliament approved measures on July 27 to address the electricity crisis, including reopening corruption cases involving the Electricity Ministry dating back to 2005 and reviewing contracts and projects suspected of wasting public funds. The recommendations also called for expanding solar power and providing subsidized or interest-free loans to households and businesses installing renewable energy systems.

Read more: Electricity output covers only one-third of Iraq's demand