Tajikistan

Lights Dim as Tajikistan Runs Short of Electricity

The authorities in Tajikistan have been forced to impose “electricity quotas” on consumers as a way of saving power in the run-up to winter.

The capital, Dushanbe, is exempt from the measures, which are designed to reduce consumption without requiring extensive power cuts.

As well as restricting electricity use, the government is doing its best to encourage people to use energy-saving devices and methods.

One of these measures is encouraging the use of energy-saving light bulbs. The sale of conventional bulbs is being phased out, and the government is handing out free low-voltage lights to the poorest people.

Jamoliddin Saifiddinov interviewed people in the southern town of Qurghonteppa who complained that the free bulbs were being handed out to people who were not badly off.

The municipal authorities say the distribution system is working well, bar a few glitches, and the energy-saving bulbs are better quality than the ones on the open market.