The Electricity Company of Ghana has warned of an eminent power and water crisis within the greater Kumasi area if stringent measures are not instituted to check encroachment on lands bothering transmission sites and power lines.
The power distributing company expressed worry as the situation continues to adversely affect its operations including regular maintenance works.
The Managing Director of ECG in the Ashanti Region, Engineer David Asamoah, speaking about the issue warned of the dire effect this could have on the whole region if not checked.
“We have seen that people have encroached our network, our substations, line and our cables. People have built houses that they are living in. Even on the cables, people are cooking on them.”
Engineer David Asamoah
According to Engineer Asamoah, his outfit realized that there is the need for them to bring to the attention of the public the dangers involved. He explained that he is cautioning these persons operating under the transmission lines because the lines do not have just normal voltages. “These are 11,000 voltages and 33,000 voltages we are talking about here.”
“In fact we have paid a lot of compensation for people that have been involved in a lot of accidents and these didn’t come from us. But on humanitarian grounds, we have paid huge for people at the hospital, we’ve paid for people that have died. And the worse scenario at Adowato, that place for example, if the cable fails, somebody has built a house on it so it means there will be no water and a quarter of Ashanti will be without power.”
Engineer David Asamoah
According to the Engineer, if there is a shortage in both power and water supply, it will pose a big danger to the affected persons in the region.
Minister warns occupants to evacuate encroached lands
Prior to this, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah and some REGSEC officials went round to caution persons who have encroached and are operating on these lands.
Speaking to some shop owners on the land, Mr. Osei-Mensah warned them to evacuate the site before they are forced to do so. He asked them to relocate to other places.
“Kindly evacuate this site. We don’t want to demolish and later you’ll say your things are in here. If you don’t and we demolish the structures, we will clear everything and you can’t retrieve anything.”
Simon Osei-Mensah
The Regional Minister indicated that their offence is that, they have mounted structures under the transmission lines and are also under serious safety risks despite the traders saying that they have secured permits to mount such structures at the site.
Simon Osei-Mensah further chastised the ECG for waiting this long to take steps regarding the situation which has been going on all this while.
“For somebody to encroach their land, start foundation and have started the main structure; even if they’ve erected even pillars and are filling, why do they have to wait up till that?”
Simon Osei-Mensah
The Minister intimated that whiles his office is working to help the ECG, they also have to help themselves by ensuring that the right things are done.
“If there had been close monitoring and the reports had come earlier, we wouldn’t have gotten to where we are now. For this one, they should go to court and get a court order to demolish the structures.”
Simon Osei-Mensah
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