News / National
ZimRights concerned about increased load shedding
14 Oct 2015 at 07:20hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) has expressed deep concern on the worsened power cuts happening in the country.
Organisation's director Okey Machisa said the attendant effect of the terrible power rationing regime, which government has said is due to low water levels that limit power generation capacity of the hydropower station at the Kariba Dam, on the welfare of Zimbabweans is that the fundamental socioeconomic rights of citizens to an adequate standards of living will be hampered.
"In an environment of job cuts due to industrial collapse, the energy crisis has the potential to even lead to more viability challenges for companies, and more retrenchment and absolute poverty," he said.
"Many of the manufacturers in the informal sector heavily rely on electricity for their enterprises, where they get livelihoods. The lack of power in the homes has led to the dilemma of families having to look for elusive alternative sources of energy, some of which are expensive and not environmental friendly due to pollution."
Machisa said households have to find energy for basic life needs such as cooking of food, warming and critical social services institutions such as healthcare centres and educational institutions will be affected.
"Since the beginning of energy problems in the country, areas close to the cities have fallen prey to the scourges of environmental harm in the form of rampant cutting of trees for firewood," he said.
"Due to the lack of street lighting during the prolonged power cuts at night, the residential areas could easily become dangerous as they provide havens for criminal activities, jeopardising the personal security of people. Traffic lights are also being rendered dysfunctional and useless increasing the danger of road accidents and their direct threat to safety and the right to life."
Machisa said the government should find ways of averting the power crisis, and sustainable deal with the roots causes of such energy provisioning gaps in the country that have led to the over reliance on the main hydro power station at Kariba dam.
"ZimRights will continue to call upon the government to progressively improve the services provisioning in the country as the sustainable anchor of human rights protection and observance," he said.
Organisation's director Okey Machisa said the attendant effect of the terrible power rationing regime, which government has said is due to low water levels that limit power generation capacity of the hydropower station at the Kariba Dam, on the welfare of Zimbabweans is that the fundamental socioeconomic rights of citizens to an adequate standards of living will be hampered.
"In an environment of job cuts due to industrial collapse, the energy crisis has the potential to even lead to more viability challenges for companies, and more retrenchment and absolute poverty," he said.
"Many of the manufacturers in the informal sector heavily rely on electricity for their enterprises, where they get livelihoods. The lack of power in the homes has led to the dilemma of families having to look for elusive alternative sources of energy, some of which are expensive and not environmental friendly due to pollution."
Machisa said households have to find energy for basic life needs such as cooking of food, warming and critical social services institutions such as healthcare centres and educational institutions will be affected.
"Since the beginning of energy problems in the country, areas close to the cities have fallen prey to the scourges of environmental harm in the form of rampant cutting of trees for firewood," he said.
"Due to the lack of street lighting during the prolonged power cuts at night, the residential areas could easily become dangerous as they provide havens for criminal activities, jeopardising the personal security of people. Traffic lights are also being rendered dysfunctional and useless increasing the danger of road accidents and their direct threat to safety and the right to life."
Machisa said the government should find ways of averting the power crisis, and sustainable deal with the roots causes of such energy provisioning gaps in the country that have led to the over reliance on the main hydro power station at Kariba dam.
"ZimRights will continue to call upon the government to progressively improve the services provisioning in the country as the sustainable anchor of human rights protection and observance," he said.
Source - Byo24News
