Amid rising electricity tariffs, several residents in various areas of Kabul city are complaining about the high cost of their electricity bills. According to them, even though power is cut for most hours of the day and night, electricity bills are being issued for amounts far exceeding actual consumption.
Most of these residents, speaking with the Hasht-e Subh Daily, say that over 24 hours, they only have access to about five to six hours of electricity. They claim that the hiring of unqualified and inexperienced individuals in government departments by the Taliban has created problems in the process of reviewing and calculating electricity consumption. In their view, it is not clear whether this discrepancy stems from a calculation error or whether residents are deliberately being charged additional costs.
These residents also say that alongside paying heavy electricity bills, the lack of piped water has forced them to buy water. Meanwhile, rising rents, increasing living costs, a lack of job opportunities and declining income have further intensified the economic pressure on families and made their living conditions more difficult.
Jawid (pseudonym), a resident of Kabul’s tenth district, complains about the rise in electricity costs and the high amounts on his bills. He says that despite power being cut for most hours of the day and night, electricity bills continue to be issued for large sums.
This Kabul resident says: “In a full day and night, we only have about five to six hours of electricity. Our consumption at home isn’t high either; we only use one television, a few lights and a refrigerator. Still, the power is out most of the time, and we spend our nights in darkness and heat, yet our electricity bill came to five thousand afghanis. When we went to the relevant office, they told us that was how much we had consumed.”
Jawid also criticized the way the electricity department under Taliban control is being run, saying: “In my view, the Taliban have hired inexperienced and unqualified people in government offices based on personal connections. I don’t know whether this error stems from their inexperience or whether people are really being charged extra money.”
This Kabul resident adds: “This problem isn’t limited to just this month. One month the electricity bill matches actual consumption, but the next month it doubles. Given this situation, how much income would someone need to be able to pay a five thousand afghani electricity bill? We don’t have piped water either, and we’re forced to buy water. Rent, living costs,s and other expenses are also rising every day. By the end of the month, I honestly don’t know how I’ll manage to cover all these costs. There’s no work, there isn’t enough income, and the economic situation is getting worse by the day. Rent has gone up too.”
Fatima (pseudonym), a resident of Kabul’s eleventh district, also complains about the high cost of her electricity bill compared to her actual consumption. She says that despite power being cut for most hours of the day and night, electricity bills are issued for amounts far exceeding actual usage. She says: “In the area where we live, we only have five to six hours of electricity in 24 hours. If we’re very lucky, we might get seven or eight hours of power in a day. Unfortunately, most of the time there’s no electricity, and it’s cut and restored several times throughout the day, yet our monthly bill is very high compared to our consumption.” According to her, many residents in the area face the same problem, but their complaints have so far led to no result.
Fatima adds: “Our neighbors and people in the area have gone several times to file complaints, but unfortunately their requests were not addressed. Even though most people say the electricity bill amount is far higher than actual consumption, officials pay no attention. We’re dealing with a problem where, on one hand, electricity is rarely available, and on the other, the electricity bill is calculated at a very high cost.”
Shafiq (pseudonym), who runs a shop in Kabul’s Kote-Sangi area, says that despite his low electricity consumption, his monthly bill has risen unexpectedly. According to him, only a few lights and a computer are used in the shop, yet a bill of six thousand afghanis was issued for one month.
This Kabul resident says: “I’m genuinely baffled. I don’t understand how they’re reading the electricity meter. Most of the time there’s no power at all, and we use solar power to run the shop, yet our electricity bill came to six thousand afghanis.”
Shafiq adds that after going to the relevant office to follow up on the matter, he was met with a long and fruitless bureaucratic process. He says: “When I went to the office, I was sent from one department to another and in the end got no result at all. When I objected, they told me sharply to just pay this month’s bill and that the previous months would be dealt with later. But I know that even if the amount is lower next month, the same problem will happen again the month after.”
This comes as several Kabul residents had previously complained about overcharging on electricity bills by the Taliban-controlled Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS). They had said that in recent months, despite reduced electricity consumption, their bill amounts had risen significantly compared to before. According to them, electricity costs do not match actual consumption, and paying them has become difficult for many families under current conditions. These residents had also added that some families, to cut costs, have limited their use of electrical appliances, but this measure has not had a noticeable effect on reducing the amount of their electricity bills.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
پرچویهای طولانی و بلهای گزاف؛ باشندهگان کابل از هزینههای سنگین برق شکایت دارند
