Entire swathes of Tajikistan were left without electricity on March 1 amid what appears to be a major technical malfunction. Households in the capital, Dushanbe, reported power outages at around 11 a.m. local time. Many homes have also been left without heating and hot water, both of which are supplied by means of a centralized system. After weeks of unseasonably warm weather, daytime temperatures in Dushanbe have in recent days slipped to near or below freezing. This has prompted many to fall back on electric heaters, which appears in turn to have triggered staggered outages. Cold weather con…