Rampant vandalism of ESCOM equipment and infrastructure
* Scrap metal industry is fueling vandalism of our electricity supply equipment
* There is need for the government to speed up with regulating the scrap metal industry as one way of reducing the malpractice
By Aliko Munde, MANA
Rampant vandalism of electricity supply equipment are some of the major causes of frequent power outages in Chitipa District, says Chief Operations Officer for Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM), Maxwell Mulimakwenda.
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Speaking on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting where ESCOM was explaining reasons behind the frequent blackouts in the district, Mulimakwenda added that lack of maintenance on the 33 KV line from Karonga to Chitipa is also a contributing factor.
“Scrap metal industry is fueling vandalism of our electricity supply equipment,” he said. “From December last year to March this year, we have lost electricity equipment worth K14 million in Chitipa alone.
“There is need for the government to speed up with regulating the scrap metal industry as one way of reducing the malpractice,” Mulimakwenda said, while also assuring the stakeholders that efforts are being made to solve the problem of frequent power cuts in the district with short, medium and long term solutions.
He added that ESCOM is going to intensify maintenance on the Karonga-Chitipa power line by erecting new poles to replace the current ones, which he said were rotten.
He disclosed that ESCOM has entered into a framework agreement with Raiply Malawi Limited to supply wooden poles to the electricity utility body.
“With the framework agreement, we hope to intensify maintenance works of replacing rotten poles with new wooden poles and Karonga-Chitipa power line will be a priority because of its uniqueness as it is the only power line supplying electricity to Chitipa.”
He also said another solution is to create a second supply line to Chitipa through Rumphi because ESCOM has got 150 km line from Chitipa-Nthalire and there is also another supply from Bwengu to somewhere in Nyika.
Mulimakwenda addressing the stakeholders in Chitipa
Chairperson for civil society organisations in Chitipa, Patrick Ziba thanked ESCOM management for coming to explain to Chitipa residents on frequent power outages and expressed hope that the corporation will implement what it has promised.
Cases of vandalism of ESCOM equipment is on the rampant and just in November, two towers on Kapichira to Nchalo 132kv overhead line at Kasinthula in Chikwawa District were brought down — heavily earlier compromising health service delivery in Lower Shire and putting lives at risk and bringing businesses to a halt.
The ESCOM towers feeds Nsanje and Chikwawa, and as they fell down, so did service delivery for health centres, fresh food grocery shops, welding centres, butcheries, hair salons and barbershops, among other businesses in Nsanje and Chikwawa.
Thus ESCOM losing millions of its revenue in repairing and replacing stolen equipment prompting the company to conducting anti-vandalism sensitization campaigns in the last two years, but the vice still persists largely due to unscrupulous scrap metal dealers who buy such vandalized ESCOM assets.
Last year, ESCOM produced a report on the prevalence of vandalism cases in the Southern Region, indicating that MV conductors were the most targeted by vandals — with Thyolo, Blantyre, Zomba and Mulanje registered the most cases of vandalism.
The report showed that 41,355 MV conductor were vandalized in the region followed by HV conductor (12,875), 10,124 earth mat, 1,708 MV cable, 1,165 twin wire, 905 LV stay, 438 HV stay, 195 HV cable, 77 transformers, MV fuse units (57) and HV metering unit (four).
Thyolo topped the list of the districts in the region hit the hardest by vandalism after registering 34 transformer cases, followed by those of 5,500 MV conductor, 1,303 earth mats, 480 MV cable and 100 HV conductor. Some 20 HV cables were vandalized in Chikwawa during this period.—Additional reporting by Maravi Express
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