Sparks fly as power thefts leave residents in the dark
An 88-year-old woman had to be rushed to the hospital as the power outage prevented her from using her respirator at home.
ILLEGAL power connections recently left residents in Sea Cow Lake in the dark for more than three days. This came after a fusebox on Myhill Road exploded on Friday, 31 July under the load of the illegal connections from the Jamaica Informal Settlement, said ward councillor, Deochand Ganesh. Power was only restored on Monday, 3 August.
According to Ganesh, the issue has become a serious and almost daily problem. “Not only are the illegal connections causing damage to the city’s infrastructure and equipment, but they are also putting people’s lives in danger. The open live wires increases the potential for school children and pedestrians of being electrocuted, and then the power outages endanger those residents who rely on medical equipment for their survival,” he said. Last weekend, an 88-year-old woman had to be rushed to the hospital as the power outage prevented her from using her respirator at home, he said.
Outraged, the residents have called for their power supply to be re-routed to a separate transformer in order to prevent such incidences in the future. “The community was mindful of the settlers’ need for electricity and knew they could do nothing to stop electricity theft,” said Ganesh.
Similar problems are being experienced by the Effingham Heights community, where Simplace Informal Settlement residents have also turned to power theft.
A resident who asked not to be named said the crime and power outages have escalated in recent months. He said the situation has become so dire that some of his neighbours have simply packed up and left their homes vacant.
At first glance, the connections on Ramchand Road to the settlement are almost undetectable. But, a closer look at a storm water drain opposite the site reveals several live wires running from the settlement over the road and telephone wires and into the servitude.
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