Amid brutal heatwave, Egyptian PM announces planned power cuts, other measures

Egyptian Prime MinisterMostafa Madbouly announced a number of measures on Thursday (July 27) to combat the brutal heatwave. These measures include planned power cuts and work-from-home (WFH) for civil servants among others. Addressing citizens, Prime MinisterMadbouli said that civil servants would work one day a week to ease the load on local electricity networks.

Madbouli confirmed that planned power cuts announced by the government last week would continue, and residents have been warned not to use elevators at certain times of the day.

The prime minister said that the power cuts would last one or two hours per day at most, adding that they come as energy consumption surged. Earlier, the power cuts measure was met with a backlashwith many people complaining that the cuts -- frequently coming at the hottest time of day -- often lasted longer than two hours and occurred outside of the planned time slots.

The PM further said that civil servants who do not deal directly with peopleto begin working remotely every Sunday for a month from August 6. The private sector in Egypt has also been asked to take similar measures.

Temperatures surpass 45°C

Temperatures surpassed45 degrees Celsius in parts of Egypt this week. The ongoing heatwave has been marked byvery high levels of humidity. The Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA)attributed the intense heat wave and the change in the weather to the extension of the seasonal India monsoon, whose impact is strongest during the months of July and August, and causes temperatures to rise, as per a report by the Egypt Independent.

Meteorologists, meanwhile, said that July is the hottest month because of climate change.

The report said that a slight drop in temperatures is expected at the end of this week. The EMA warned citizens against direct exposureto sunlight during this period and advised people to keep well-hydrated, wear light-coloured clothes, and a cap to protect them from sunlight.

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