Record-breaking heat means ice cubes now cost more than bread and milk in parts of Mali.<\/p>\n
“I’ve come to buy ice because it’s very hot now,” says 15-year-old Fatouma Yattara as she visits her local vendor in the capital, Bamako.<\/p>\n
With no working fridge due to prolonged power cuts, she resorts to using ice cubes to preserve food and keep cool during a heatwave which has seen temperatures soar to 48C.<\/p>\n
It works to an extent, but price hikes are making life even harder. “In some places it’s 100 francs CFA ($0.20; \u00a30.16)” for a small bag, she says, “even 300, 500 – it’s too expensive.”<\/p>\n
This makes ice more expensive than bread – a standard baguette normally costs about 250 CFA.<\/p>\n
It is an even bigger struggle for Nana Konat\u00e9 Traor\u00e9, who is now forced to cook every day instead of a few times a week.<\/p>\n
“We often go a whole day without power,” she says, “so, the food goes bad, and you have to throw it away”.<\/p>\n
The problems began almost a year ago, with Mali’s state power company failing to match growing demand after accumulating hundreds of millions of dollars in debt in recent years. Many Malians do not have back-up generators as it is expensive to refuel them.<\/p>\n
No electricity means no fans at night, forcing many to sleep outside. And it is affecting people’s health.<\/p>\n
“We really suffer,” says Souma\u00efla Ma\u00efga, a young man from the Yirimadio district on the outskirts of Bamako.<\/p>\n
“At night it can reach 46C – it’s unbearable because I suffer from dizziness. I have to pour water on myself to cope.”<\/p>\n