Egyptian wife pulls plug on marriage after power cuts

An Egyptian woman has filed for divorce after her husband refused to relocate from their district which was hit by frequent electricity cuts, reported a local newspaper on Tuesday.

The mother of two said in a lawsuit to the family court in Giza, near Cairo, that their home had become unsuitable to live in because it was located in a densely populated area comprising ex-cons and unlicensed hawkers, said the independent newspaper Al Masry Al Youm.

Power outages were the last straw for the woman, who claimed that when she insisted on moving to another house, her spouse insulted and beat her up in front of their children, according to the report. The court has yet to rule on the divorce request filed by the woman who said her husband could afford a new house.

Egypt has this summer been plagued by unprecedented power outages, which the government has blamed on soaring consumption rates and high temperatures. The problem coincided with Ramadan, which ended on Saturday.

Angry Egyptians took to the streets in several parts of the nation and blocked major roads in protest. President Mohammad Mursi’s government has promised an improvement in the situation after new generation plants are launched into operation this year.

Have you been affected by Egypt's power outages this summer? Do you think the new plants will improve the situation?