SESB to solve Papar power irregularities
Published on: Thursday, May 06, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
This Papar electricity pole, along the way to Kg Suok-Dambai, was leaning over under the weight of the creepers which had grown over it.
Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) hopes to upgrade its existing system servicing consumers in a Papar village.The company’s Senior General Manager (Asset Management) Norhizami Abu Hasan said the firm was looking into increasing the power supply to Kg Suok-Dambai.
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This would be done to meet the growing demand for electricity from consumers in and around the village, according to him.
“We plan to carry out improvement work on the low voltage installations in the area as soon possible,” he said.
“Those living in the village should find that their supply is more stable, at the very least, by the end of May.”
SESB’s action was prompted by complaints from four Papar consumers about the power irregularities they had been experiencing for over a decade.
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They were under the impression that insufficient electricity is being supplied to the village.
These suspicions have arisen because the ceiling lights, and other electrical appliances, in their homes do not operate at their maximum setting throughout the night.
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These facilities supposedly begin flickering, or vibrating, the longer they are operational. Some of them even go off by themselves.
Each of the disgruntled residents have separately reported these goings-on to SESB on and off for years.
However, the electricity woes persist till today, according to them.
They estimated that more than 20 families presently made their home the village, which was about 10 kilometres away from Papar.
Norhizami said its staff in the district confirmed the voltage-related problems in the village during a preliminary investigation in April.
“On top of the local population growth, the supply woes are being aggravated by the remote location of the village,” he said.
“Kg Suok-Dambai is quite far away from the town. There is also a substantial distance between the village and the nearest electricity transmission lines in this part of the district.”
The pole has since been cleared and set back upright.
He advised the affected consumers to make a police report about any damage caused to their appliances which may have been due to the power irregularities.
“They should forward this document together, with the cost of the repairs, to us so that we can process their claim.”
MARSELLA of Papar said it was way past time SESB lived up to its motto: ‘Your light, our pride’.
“The fluorescent lights in my house do not make me proud to have friends over for dinner,” she said.
“They cause me much embarrassment, when they start to blink on and off.
She said these electricity problems were a source of frustration to her and her family.
“It is impossible to read, let alone watch TV – that is when the television does function properly.”
The TV occasionally “blinked out” without anyone deactivating it, according to her.
“We have taken to sitting in the dark to watch our favourite programmes as the strobe-affect of the lights hurts our eyes.”
Marsella said, if she had to read at night, it was easier to do so with a torch or by candlelight.
“We moved to the village after I retired in 2018. Our life has been so stressful because of the unstable power supply.”
She said she had wearied of contacting SESB’s Complaints’ section about this problem.
“I have spoken to so many of the company’s staff over the years and sent numerous emails. In February, I even submitted a letter to the SESB office in the district
“In each instance, I was assured that action was being taken but, so far, these assurances have not amounted to much.”
ADOM of Papar said he was constantly having to send his damaged appliances to the workshop.
He bemoaned the burden the power woes had caused him financially.
He said he had paid between RM120 to RM260 in repairs over the years, depending on whether he had to replace a coil in his refrigerator or the back light for his 29-inch Light Emitting Diode (LED) television set.
“I have given up using a computer, multimedia speakers and a karaoke amplifier at home as I can no longer afford to repair them if they break down,” he said.
“It is cheaper to just buy these devices brand new rather than have them repaired.”
Adom blamed the weak electricity supply being channelled to Kg Suok-Dambai for the hassle he faced because of his appliances.
He said he and his mum had encountered this problem since they first shifted to the village in 2011.
“I have been contacting the firm’s staff, from time to time, since then about these goings-on.
“I most recently handed in a letter about these electricity woes at the Papar SESB office in January.”
As of April 21, he had yet to receive an official response to this correspondence.
Adom estimated that over 500 residents called the village home and felt it was unfair of the company to overlook the plight of these consumers.
DARIAH of Papar observed that many of the SESB installations along the road leading to the village, including the overhead lines and poles, had not been maintained in a long time.
She wondered if the lack of maintenance might be contributing to the power irregularities in the village.
“Some cables are covered with creepers, while others had become entangled in the overgrown branches of trees nearby,” she said.
“Many of the poles supporting these transmission lines are bending over under the weight of this greenery. They look as if they could fall over at any time.
“I hope SESB doesn’t wait till they collapse and a passer-by, or some livestock, comes to harm before acting on this problem.”
ELYNA, another Kg Suok-Dambai resident, also expressed her displeasure about the unstable supply to the village, saying that this had been going-on since 2010 when her house was first built.
“I personally delivered a letter about the power problems here to the SESB office in Papar at the end of January.”
Norhizami said action had since been taken to attend to the electricity poles along the access road to the village.
“Any greenery which had grown over, or encroached into the path, of these installations was cleared,” he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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