Okaz newspaper

In the past, having lanterns in the desert was a sign of civilization. In fact, it has been more than 100 years since electricity was introduced in Makkah, but without any electricity commission regulating it. Volunteers set up lights in the Grand Mosque and eventually electricity was connected to every house, street and factory.

I have written about the problems involved with electrical power for almost 50 years. In the beginning, one company was responsible for electricity in Taif, Makkah and Jeddah, charging high rates and with the service continuously disrupted. This company did not have any intention to connect electricity to other areas and concentrated on only these three cities.

In a speech in Madinah, King Faisal said that if the electricity company did not provide services to other cities and villages and reduce prices and take care of maintenance, then the government would take over the responsibility for providing electricity.

At that point, the electricity company began taking the first steps to expanding its services, but the problem of the disruption of electricity continued. This problem is not just a matter of providing light. Many people rely on electricity to operate their medical equipment. The large number of people who visit the hospital after an electricity outage is the best evidence of that.

Lately, a major power outage hit the northern parts of the Kingdom when a number of electricity towers were damaged due to a severe storm. This resulted in chaos and traffic jams forcing police to organize the traffic in major intersections. The power outage hit major areas like Tabuk and its provinces.