By Ewoenam Koodo, GNA
Keta (V/R), Jan. 09, GNA – About 29
electricity poles belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have been
burnt by bushfires in the Keta Municipality.
A total of ten poles have been burnt along
the sea defence stretch of the Keta-Havedzi road but there are no power
interruptions in the Municipality.
In all, 21 high tension poles and eight low
voltage poles were destroyed, with some left hanging at knee level posing
danger to lives.
Mr Godwin Gone, Keta District Manager,
Electricity Company of Ghana said bushfires on December 30th 2019 through to
January 1, 2020, which necessitated the assistance of fire fighters, were so
disastrous and came at a cost to the Company.
He said he was surprised at the occurrence
because “there are no farmlands or thick bushes around Keta-Adzido and
Kedzi-Vodza areas for people to burn bushes for hunting”.
The District Manager described the incident
as unfortunate and appealed to residents in the Keta Municipality to desist
from indiscriminate setting of fire to bushes during dry seasons, so as not to
plunge the area into darkness.
Mr Gone said there must be caution when
setting fires during harmattan periods because they could lead to unforeseen or
unintended disasters with far reaching consequences.
He said the Company was working at replacing
the poles and to ensure that power was not interrupted.
Mr Benjamin Obeng Antwi, Public Relations
Officer, ECG, Volta Region, said the incident had been reported to the police
and was hopeful the culprits would be arrested and prosecuted.
He said ECG was creating fire belts around
the poles and replacing some with steel tubular poles in Volta and Oti Regions
to avoid such occurrences.
Mr Antwi also lamented about the increasing
cases of cable theft in Keta, especially around the Nursing Training College
and called for support from the public.
GNA
