BAGHDAD — Several weeks ago, workers from the Ministry of Electricity came to Abdul Kareem's door and asked him to fill out a form stating how many people live in his east Baghdad home. Next, the laborers installed a small box inside Kareem's home and then climbed an electricity pole outside and began fiddling with it.
Kareem didn't know it then, but he and his neighbors had become guinea pigs in an Iraqi government experiment to limit electricity use as demand soars, supply lags and officials accept that they cannot close the gap.
The plan, launched nearly three months ago, represents the latest break with one of the biggest promises made after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion: that services such as electricity and water would quickly surpass prewar levels.
If anything is seen as symbolic of the United States' failure to deliver on its promise that life would be better without Saddam Hussein, it is the lack of reliable electricity. And as Iraqis endure their fifth blazing summer without sufficient power, it is no surprise that resentment toward American forces remains fierce.
Counterinsurgency experts, including Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the current commander of the war, say restoring basic services is crucial to winning the public's trust, and Iraqi government officials agree.
"If the United States wants Iraqis to view them as friends, they have to improve the services," said a spokesman at the Ministry of Electricity, Abu Samir, who calls the new experiment "a last resort."
"It's not really what we want, but it's the only way we can supply electricity on a wider scale," he said.
Under the plan, each residence on a block has been allocated a limited number of amperes, depending on its estimated needs based on how many people live in the home. Most households receive 10 amperes of electricity, enough to run a refrigerator, a TV and an air cooler, which uses a fan and water to circulate chilled air.
The amount of power is not enough to run an air conditioner, water heater or most major appliances at the same time as lamps, refrigerators or other common household items. To do so would require a generator.
'It is easing suffering'
The experiment is underway in three Baghdad neighborhoods and in sections of Hillah, Najaf, Karbala and Diwaniya south of the capital, ministry officials said. Some welcome it as a way to at least ensure that everyone gets a share of the available power.
