Power problem in Chipata grounds business to a halt as water crisis hits the district.

Business in Chipata on Friday ground to a halt following a serious power problem that has the district since Wednesday night.
And efforts by ZESCO to repair the damaged transformer, which has caused the power problem, has failed.
The power problem has further seen some parts of Chipata not having power for almost two days.
Furthermore the power problem has seen most parts of Chipata not having water supply from Eastern Water and Sewerage Company forcing residents to draw water from boreholes and wells.
Businesses like Shoprite and Spar were on Friday forced to close early due to the water problem.
And Spar Chipata says that it has lost about 120 thousand Kwacha in the past two days due to the power problem.
Stock Administration Manager, David Bulembe explained that the power problem is posing serious challenges to its operation as it is spending about 500 litres of fuel per day to run the generator.
He, however, explained that the store has ensured that no perishable goods go bad.
And Eastern Water and Sewerage Company say that operations at Lutembwe Dam 2 have completely ground to a halt while Lutembwe Dam 1 is still operating but not to its full capacity.
Company spokesperson, Henry Kashoki told Breeze News that operations will only resume after ZESCO restores power supply to the plant.
Meanwhile ZESCO Regional Manager, Alex Chilongo says that efforts to repair the transformer on Saturday failed, forcing the company to start making arrangements for a new transformer to be transported from Lusaka.
Mr. Chilongo stated that the company expects the new transformer to be in Chipata next week.
He however, says that the company is making arrangements to ensure that water plants for Eastern Water start operating to reduce the water crisis.
He also revealed that the company has started load shedding until when the new transformer will be installed.