Introduction:
Power Outages or power cuts occur almost daily in one
part of the Gambia or another, though to a lesser extent
since 2007. Most hotels in Gambia as well as many businesses
have generators,
but these aren’t always reliable due to the high cost
of fuel to power them as well as intermittent breakdowns.
In addition, it often takes several minutes to turn
on after an outage.
Advice:
If power is out for an extended period of time, some
hotels will
save money by running the generator only between dusk
and midnight. Always plan ahead and never take for granted
that you'll have electricity when you need it.
Save often when using a computer, use a UPS and plan
on charging batteries for phones, computers, cameras,
etc. well before you need to use them.
Try and buy a small rechargeable lantern and pocket
torchlight. If you are going off the beaten track then
there are for sale rechargeable solar powerbanks for
mobiles as well as lanterns.
Background:
Regular power cuts
began in around 1977 and it followed the Sahelian droughts
1968-1974 which saw a significant rural-urban drift
of people from the villages and into the towns. The
population of these areas suddenly swelled to breaking
point and the demand for electricity and water escalated.
In trying to cope, the utilities corporation suffered
a series of serious mechanical break-downs that has
crippled the energy sector
for many decades with frequent power cuts and load shedding
which lasted for the next 30 years.
Present Situation:
Currently in the urban areas & hotel resorts of
Greater Banjul in the West Coast, power outages have
become more of an aberration rather than the norm. The
rural areas have yet to benefit fully from the
Rural Electrification Project.
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