By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu, GNA
Bolgatanga, July 14, GNA – Mr Roland Atanga Ayoo, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) has assured residents that efforts were underway to restore faulty streetlights across the Municipality.
He said a technical team from the Ministry of Energy was expected to arrive next week to address the problem.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) observed that several streetlights, particularly those along the highway from the State Transport Corporation (STC) yard area to the Bolgatanga Technical Institute and beyond, as well as those along the inner township roads, were not functioning.
Speaking in a sideline interview with the GNA during a clean-up exercise in Bolgatanga, Mr Ayoo explained that while many of the streetlights had been functioning after previous maintenance works, several technical and human-related challenges caused them to go off in recent weeks.
According to the MCE, one major challenge was the way some of the streetlights are connected saying, “Most of the streetlights, at times about 10 or more, are connected to one photocell. And so, when that photocell has a problem, you can have at least about 10 or more of them in the line going completely off,” he explained.
He also blamed vandalism for some of the outages, noting that human interference had rendered several installations inoperable.
“Some of them also have been tampered with by human beings and so most of them are no longer working as a result of human attempts on them,” Mr Ayoo stated.
The MCE added that some bulbs installed during previous repair works had since failed and were due for replacement, “The last time they came and replaced them, most of the bulbs have also gone off. And so, arrangements have been put in place for them to be replaced,” he added.
Mr Ayoo explained that the technical team responsible for maintaining the streetlights operated under the Ministry of Energy and was deployed from either Accra or Tamale, which sometimes delayed repair works.
He noted that the Ministry’s team recently worked only on the Municipality’s solar-powered streetlights, leaving other faulty installations unattended, “When I called one of the directors, he told me that they came and worked only on the solar ones,” he revealed.
The MCE expressed optimism that the remaining faulty streetlights would soon be repaired once the Ministry’s team returns.
“We are making frantic efforts to get those who worked on the other ones to return. Hopefully, I believe they will be in next week. And when they come, we will bring the streetlights back to operation,” he assured.
Mr Ayoo added that while awaiting the Ministry’s technical team, the Assembly had begun replacing faulty bulbs in locations where the repairs were within its capacity.
“The assembly itself is also working on them, especially where it is about the bulbs, they can easily be replaced. But I expect the team to come from Accra and work on them, hopefully next week,” he reiterated.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/George-Ramsey Benamba
Reporter: Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Email: [email protected]