Powering Iraqi homes one switch at a time

Baghdad (AFP) July 21, 2021

Sweat drips from Aqeel Hassan as he tinkers with a labyrinth of wires that connect 270 homes in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City. It is a thankless job, but a crucial one amid another scorching heatwave. His workplace is a humble shack right in front of his home, which comprises a bed, pigeons in a pen to keep him company and more than 200 colour-coded switches, running to a loud, humming diese