Only 5% of street-lighting requests approved

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Fewer than 5 per cent of the Muharraq Municipal Council’s street-lighting requests are being accepted, the council said, blaming weak co-ordination with the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) for delays to works that matter to residents.

The point arose during discussion of a reply to an earlier recommendation to install lights along Road 3327 in Al Dair, Block 233.

Meeting

Council chairman Abdulaziz Al Naar said a faceto-face meeting with the Authority is needed to agree clear steps for submissions.

Each time a format is settled, new procedures or forms appear, he said, and applications stall.

Sixth Constituency member Fadhil Al Oud said the Authority’s shift into a company has put profit and loss near the top of its concerns and trimmed some services.

Requirements

He added that, despite meeting all requirements, none of the lighting requests he has filed since 2022 has been accepted.

Second Constituency representative Dalal Al Moqahwi said changing procedures and form requirements keep pushing back approvals. She said some of her requests already carry ministerial approval, yet the Authority has not acted on them.

Layout

Her constituency’s older layout, she added, does not require new infrastructure, so lighting can be fitted directly.

Seventh Constituency representative Ahmed Al Moqahwi said the Authority moves fast to cut power when needed but is slow to answer citizens’ requests submitted through municipal councils.

He called for better working methods and co-ordination to meet local expectations.