Frequent power disruptions in Penampang
Published on: Wednesday, June 29, 2022
By: Sidney Skinner
Pieces of the wooden cable-drum cab be seen lying over this Telipok drain.
A Penampang Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) customer is upset about the frequent disruptions in his village, while another from Telipok has spoken out about the poor condition of his housing road which was dug up so that some power lines could be installed.The former provided Hotline with the time and date of the most recent outage while the latter specified the name of the damaged stretch. This information was forwarded to the company.
ADVERTISEMENT
AMOS of Penampang bemoaned the unstable supply in Kg Gunsing, saying that there had been multiple blackouts there over the past month.
“In the third week of June alone, the supply went off three times,” he said.
“These outages took place in the morning and at night. They lasted for hours on some occasions.”
In most of these instances, he wound up having to throw away the fish and other fresh food in his refrigerator as they had gone bad.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Many of my household appliances have been damaged because the breakdowns happen suddenly and without warning.
“With the hot weather now, the heat is more than we can endure, especially without the ceiling fans or air-conditioners.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Amos said that he had wearied of contacting the company’s Customer Management Centre about these goings-on.
“I seldom hear-back from the staff after I lodge a report about a breakdown.”
Fuses for feeder-pillars in Kg Gunsing, similar to this one in Austral Park, are prone to being damaged.
He shared his frustrations with some of his neighbours who were equally unhappy about the electricity woes in the village.
“They said their children had been forced to study by candlelight once too often because of these outages.”
Amos hoped SESB would seriously look at improving its systems servicing this part of the district.
“After all the firm’s service has proven, at best, unreliable.
“If the supply is insufficient and can no longer service these areas due to development, the management should find a solution and take the necessary steps to counter this.
“The company shouldn’t just undertake temporary repairs.”
A SESB spokesman said a preliminary investigation revealed some possible causes for the electricity problems in Kg Gunsing.
“We have found that the ‘outgoing low tension fuseways’, on the feeder pillars here, were prone to blowing either because of a loose contact or as a result of a system’s overload,” he said.
“There have also been occasions when the branches of trees growing near our installations have encroached into the path of the overhead lines, causing our feeder in this part of the district to trip.”
He said steps would be taken to deal with these problems.
“We are trying to gauge the extent of the load being shouldered by our substation for the village so that we might be able to triangulate the source of the disruptions.
“Additionally, the greenery in the vicinity of our cables will also be pruned and any creepers which have grown-over these lines will be cleared.”
The spokesman said a check of the company’s records revealed that the supply to Kg Gunsing had been disrupted on three separate nights this month: June 8, 19 and 23.
Meanwhile, he said SESB was looking into claims that its contractor had failed to properly reinstate a Telipok housing road.
MARK of Telipok said parts of Jalan Putera Perdana were excavated earlier this year to allow some electricity cables to be laid underneath.
“The contractor poured gravel over the damaged sections after installing the cables but failed to reseal the road afterwards,” he said.
“The equipment, used to the lay the cables, has long since been removed so it would appear that the individual won’t be returning to repair the stretch.”
He bemoaned the inconvenience motorists experienced in driving over the damaged stretch.
“Given the frequency with which vehicles use the road, some of the stones have gradually been dispersed, so depressions have formed in some parts of the road.
“We risk scrapping the undercarriage of our vehicles if we go over these uneven portions.”
Mark said this was especially so when it rained, as the road had a tendency to flood, making it virtually impossible for drivers to tell which parts of the stretch were damaged.
He was also displeased about the contractor’s failure to clear the debris generated by the installation work.
Pieces of the wooden cable-drum, around which the power lines were coiled, were strewn over the housing drain and trees on the road shoulder, according to him.
“I don’t think it is fair for SESB to expect the residents to clean up this mess.
“The contractor should be taken to task for the ‘shoddy housekeeping’ involving the road and common areas nearby.”
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
