This Life No Balance: The Inequality of Electricity Supply in My Community

In my country, there's a saying we often use when we see things that aren’t equally enjoyed by people: this life no balance. This phrase rings especially true when I think about the electricity situation in my community.

Around the area where I currently reside, three power sources feed different sections of the community. There’s one area where residents enjoy electricity for 24 hours straight. It’s rare to see their lights go off unless there’s a fault. Another area has a fairly stable supply, around 8 hours if I’m correct. But my side, which happens to be in the middle, has the least supply. It almost seems like the electricity distributors are using a timetable for us. We used to have power around 10 or 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. The latest development now is a supply from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. Before this, it was from 9 p.m. to 6 or 7 a.m.

Just yesterday, the power came on at 10 p.m. and was gone by 11:30 p.m. Like, are we joking here?

The most frustrating part for me is how I have to schedule my sewing projects around the times electricity will be supplied, or else I have to switch to using my coal pot and a locally made iron. I blame myself for not scrutinizing the electricity situation before securing this room; I assumed the electricity was stable.

Ironically, there are houses on the same street that are supplied power from different sources. This means a house can be basking in light while the one next to it is in darkness. 😁

When I’ve tried to understand why the electricity distribution is this way, people say it’s because some streets pay more than others. Apparently, there are rich men or industries located in the areas with 24-hour light, so they pay more and get better supply. Meanwhile, those of us who are under-supplied supposedly don’t pay well. But I see no reason why anyone would refuse to pay more if the electricity was stable in the first place.

The electricity supply also varies from state to state. My state of origin is known for fairly stable electricity. When I visit home, I hardly want to leave because power is almost never an issue. If there’s no power for long hours during the day, it’s assumed that there’s a fault, and house owners start calling the community chairman to find out what went wrong.

The state I currently reside in is the total opposite. I wish I could capture the sound coming from several generators in different flats from the same house right now. The frustrating part is that I stay awake from the time the generators start until they’re turned off around 1 a.m. The headache I get from the never-ending noise keeps me praying that there will be power at night.

Like I said earlier, this life no balance, and that’s definitely the case for electricity in my area. The inequality is top-notch. I wonder how the electricity distributors have the courage to move around and distribute bills at the end of the month to residents who aren’t on prepaid meters.

How is electricity in your area?
Share with me in the comments.

Thanks for reading through
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