Tema, Nov. 2, GNA – The Tema South District of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has disclosed that it would soon embark on a disconnection exercise in slums within its jurisdiction.
Mr Christopher Apawu, ECG Tema South District Engineer, disclosing this during the third ordinary meeting of the second session of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), said the haphazard power connections in slums was a waiting disaster therefore the need to remove all the cables.
“We will disconnect all cables at the slums, it’s a disaster in waiting, and any little spark can lead to fire outbreaks,” he said.
Mr Apawu briefing the Assembly Members said by the policy of ECG, they do not extend power to slums, saying however that they used to do so until the Assemblies complained that giving light to such slums was often used by dwellers to justify their stay and protest against demolitions.
He said now for them to extend light to any structure they request for a letter from the Assembly authorizing them to reside in such areas.
He said the cables used in the slum was a manifestation that it was not the Company that extended power to them as their (slum dwellers) connections were through small cables.
Touching on fixing of streetlights, he reminded the public that streetlight was not supposed to be directed into their houses but rather on the streets in line with the policy governing its installation.
He added that the public had no right to climb any of the ECG poles therefore the need for residents and Assembly members who wanted to fix such streetlights in their areas to contact the Company to do so.
“The Assemblies must inform us about the streetlights before fixing, so we can assess the network to ensure that where ever they will be put, the transformers can support them, without informing us it leads to challenges of load balancing on our networks,” he said.
GNA