BAGHDAD -- Power pylons toppled. Fuel pipelines blown apart. Foreign engineers gunned down or pulled out by their companies or governments. Insurgents are stepping up attacks on Iraq's fragile infrastructure even as the U.S. pumps in billions to rebuild it.
But with electricity in Baghdad flowing at less than half prewar levels and a scorching summer ahead, many Iraqis see the struggle to ensure adequate power as a metaphor for a U.S.-led reconstruction mission gone bad.
"We've seen nothing but empty promises," shopkeeper Raad Ghalib said, pausing to open a warm freezer reeking with 65 pounds of rotting meat.
Restoring stable electricity supplies is widely considered a benchmark of progress for Iraq's American rulers since they ousted Saddam Hussein's regime in April 2003. But the U.S. struggle to turn the lights on -- and keep them on -- hasn't been easy. Every step forward seems followed by a step back.
On June 3, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resuscitated a turbine at northwest Iraq's 660 megawatt Haditha hydroelectric dam, marking the first time it operated at full power since 1990.
A few days later, guerrillas bombed a pipeline fueling the 700 megawatt Musayyib power plant south of Baghdad, cutting its capacity in half, said Hamid al-Suri, an Electricity Ministry spokesman.
Saboteurs struck again Wednesday in central Iraq, blowing up another pipeline at Beiji, forcing a 10 percent cut on the national grid.
Iraq's interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, condemned the violence, saying such strikes had "caused a nationwide loss of power of more than four hours per day." He said saboteurs have attacked vital oil pipelines 130 times in the last seven months, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and lost revenues, and were increasingly targeting infrastructure.
Guerrillas have also targeted foreign experts the coalition has contracted to help carry out technical repairs and bring in badly needed spare parts.
Last month, guerrillas ambushed Russian engineers at Musayyib, kidnapping two and killing one. At Baghdad's Dora power station on May 26, masked gunmen fired automatic weapons at a bus taking Russian technicians to work, killing two and an Iraqi.
Moscow-based Interenergoservis pulled out all its 241 employees.
In Baghdad, anger is boiling over as the city of 5 million inches into a summer where temperatures are expected to rise to 120 degrees. On Friday, it was 106. To cope, most people rely on roaring generators to fuel air conditioners and fans. At night they bring out lanterns and candles, and sleep on rooftops.
Before the war, Baghdad residents had about 20 hours of electricity a day. Today, they're lucky to get eight, usually broken into two-hour runs, or less.
A coalition electricity spokesman conceded the capital had "significantly less power" but said Saddam's regime drained supplies from the rest of the country to keep the lights on in Baghdad.
After a $1 billion American aid injection, Iraq's national grid topped prewar levels of 4,400 megawatts in March. Baghdad's problem is that U.S. authorities redistributed electricity evenly across the country -- everybody now gets 8-12 hours a day.
Associated Press - Todd Pitman
But with electricity in Baghdad flowing at less than half prewar levels and a scorching summer ahead, many Iraqis see the struggle to ensure adequate power as a metaphor for a U.S.-led reconstruction mission gone bad.
"We've seen nothing but empty promises," shopkeeper Raad Ghalib said, pausing to open a warm freezer reeking with 65 pounds of rotting meat.
Restoring stable electricity supplies is widely considered a benchmark of progress for Iraq's American rulers since they ousted Saddam Hussein's regime in April 2003. But the U.S. struggle to turn the lights on -- and keep them on -- hasn't been easy. Every step forward seems followed by a step back.
On June 3, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resuscitated a turbine at northwest Iraq's 660 megawatt Haditha hydroelectric dam, marking the first time it operated at full power since 1990.
A few days later, guerrillas bombed a pipeline fueling the 700 megawatt Musayyib power plant south of Baghdad, cutting its capacity in half, said Hamid al-Suri, an Electricity Ministry spokesman.
Saboteurs struck again Wednesday in central Iraq, blowing up another pipeline at Beiji, forcing a 10 percent cut on the national grid.
Iraq's interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, condemned the violence, saying such strikes had "caused a nationwide loss of power of more than four hours per day." He said saboteurs have attacked vital oil pipelines 130 times in the last seven months, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and lost revenues, and were increasingly targeting infrastructure.
Guerrillas have also targeted foreign experts the coalition has contracted to help carry out technical repairs and bring in badly needed spare parts.
Last month, guerrillas ambushed Russian engineers at Musayyib, kidnapping two and killing one. At Baghdad's Dora power station on May 26, masked gunmen fired automatic weapons at a bus taking Russian technicians to work, killing two and an Iraqi.
Moscow-based Interenergoservis pulled out all its 241 employees.
In Baghdad, anger is boiling over as the city of 5 million inches into a summer where temperatures are expected to rise to 120 degrees. On Friday, it was 106. To cope, most people rely on roaring generators to fuel air conditioners and fans. At night they bring out lanterns and candles, and sleep on rooftops.
Before the war, Baghdad residents had about 20 hours of electricity a day. Today, they're lucky to get eight, usually broken into two-hour runs, or less.
A coalition electricity spokesman conceded the capital had "significantly less power" but said Saddam's regime drained supplies from the rest of the country to keep the lights on in Baghdad.
After a $1 billion American aid injection, Iraq's national grid topped prewar levels of 4,400 megawatts in March. Baghdad's problem is that U.S. authorities redistributed electricity evenly across the country -- everybody now gets 8-12 hours a day.
Associated Press - Todd Pitman
