Stop Building Under Electric High Tension Wires, NEMSA, PHEDC Warn Cross River Residents
By Ndifereke BASSEY with Agency Report
The Nigeria Electricity Management Service Agency (EMSA) nd the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) have cautioned Cross River state residents against building shops and houses under high tension wires.
Recall that about 6p.m. on Saturday, a high tension wire cut off from the pole and fell on a car, causing huge sparks that left people running for dear lives.
However, some residents of the area who attempted to rescue the car, were electrocuted and suffered some degrees of burns.
A similar incident happened in the Nyanasang area of Calabar in 2017 in which some lives were lost The NEMSA’s Managing Director, Aliyu Tahir and Dr Gabriel Modupe, Regional Manager, PHEDC, who gave the piece of advise this when they visited victims of the incident in Calabar recently, described Saturday’s electrocution incident in Calabar as unfortunate.
The duo maintained that the incident could have been avoided if people heeded to warnings not to erect structures under high tension wires.
Speaking during the visit, Mr Tahir, who doubles as NEMSA’s Chief Electrical Inspector, expressed worries that the power lines were old and required maintenance, adding that there were a lot of defective areas along the network that required repairs to avoid a recurrence.
”This incident would not have happened if the protection from the power lines were operated correctly.
These networks in Calabar South are some of the oldest networks. There is need for rehabilitation. This will be one of our directives to the utility company, they should ensure that these networks are rehabilitated immediately,” he said.
On his part, Mr Modupe said that it was wrong for people to build under high tension wires, stating that the risk of electrocution was high for residents of structures built under overhead wire lines.
The PHEDC official said that the firm would take care of the victims’ hospital bills, and urged members of the public to obey safety warnings.
Equally describing the incident as ‘very unfortunate, Clan Head of Efut Abua West in Calabar South, Muri Joseph Effiong-Edem, urged the PHEDC to rehabilitate the old power lines in the community to ensure people’s safety.
