Publication date: 2016, October
Author: Freedom to Create
Description: Zambia has experienced daily 8-hour power-cuts since July 2015. Low water-levels at the main reservoirs for hydroelectric generation have led to a power deficit of about one-third of electricity demand. With the country’s historically sufficient power supply, the sudden crisis has exposed low diversification of the fuel mix and caught households and businesses unprepared and without alternative or back-up sources of electricity supply. Left without electricity many households have reverted to charcoal for cooking, causing a spike in prices and accelerating the rate of deforestation. While only 22% of the population has access to electricity, the entire population has been affected indirectly through negative impacts on the economy and public infrastructure services.
