DUSHANBE, February 10, 2014 Asia-Plus -- Electricity rationing has not been toughened and residents of rural areas have electricity nine hours per day, Nozirjon Yodgori, a spokesman for Barqi Tojik (Tajik state-controlled electricity supplier), told Asia-Plus in an interview.

Meanwhile, accidents on power transmission lines have become more frequent as traffic load of the power transmission lines has increased due to cold weather, Yodgori said, adding that elimination of an accident now takes 5-6 hours.

We will recall that electricity rationing was introduced in rural areas of Tajikistan on October 26, 2013 and it resulted in the supply of daily electrical power in rural areas being reduced to eighteen hours – from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm.

On November 1, 2013, Tajik authorities toughened electricity rationing for rural areas and since November 1, they have had electricity only nine hours per day – four hours in the morning (from 5:00 am to 9:00 am) and five hours in the evening (from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm).

Electricity rationing has not affected Dushanbe as well as the cities of Khujand, Qurghon Teppa, Kulob, Tursunzoda, and Chkalovsk.  The power rationing also has not affected the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), where the power system is operated by the Pamir Energy Company (PamirEnergy).

Measures rationing electricity supplies are usually introduced in all regions except Dushanbe and seek to curb the country''s rising electricity consumption.  The rationing is introduced in October or November and lasts through March or April next year.  The rationing results in the supply of daily electrical power being reduced to 12 or 10 hours.  In addition to curbing rising consumption, the move also stems from a decline in the water level in the country''s reservoirs powering the main hydroelectric power plants.