Addu residents spend two hours in the dark; allegations of attempt to cut power cable

The residents of the linked islands of Addu City spent around two hours in darkness on early Saturday, with the latest power outage blamed not on a technical issue, but deliberate sabotage.

Ibrahim Shinaz, a councilman from Addu, told Sun that the power went out in the linked islands of the populous southern city just after midnight.

He said that the state utility company Fenaka Corporation managed to restore power to some parts around an hour later, and fully restored power to all affected areas around two hours later.

Shinaz said the latest outage didn’t result from a technical issue, but because someone tried to cut the cable line in the Feydhoo district.

He said that the person in question got electrocuted in the incident.

“I think the person who got electrocuted was taken to the health center. He reportedly suffered serious burn injuries. He apparently got electrocuted while attempting to cut the main power cable,” he said.

Addu, home to the largest residential population outside of Male’, has been affected for months by frequent power interruptions.

Ibrahim Nizar, the parliamentary representative for North Feydhoo constituency, expressed concern over the failure to address the issue.

“The residents of Addu having to stay in darkness like this with the power out is completely unacceptable. I call for immediate action to resolve this issue,” he said.

Fenaka – which provides utility services in Addu – installed a 1.8-megawatt generator set on February 21 to fix the power outages in the linked islands of the city. Another 1-megawatt generator set was sent on March 13, and a 1.8-megawatt generator on March 25.

But the city continues to be affected by power disruptions.