Harmattan: EEDC warns against indiscriminate bush burning

 By Maureen Ikpeama

Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), on Thursday, warned South-East residents and its customers against indiscriminate bush burning as the harmattan sets in.

The Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC,  Emeka Ezeh, said that the warning had became timely owing to the fact that fire outbreak remained the most common risk during harmattan.

Ezeh recounted the losses the company had borne in the past years as a result of uncontrolled!/indiscriminate burning of bushes and refuse dumps, adding “we pray that such experience never repeats this season.”

“Our network spans through, bushes, forests, neighbourhoods, farmlandsu, etc, and any form of burning if uncontrolled could lead to a fire outbreak which may damage transformers, feeder pillar units, and the lines with their associated accessories, in addition to loss of lives, loss of electricity supply and other properties.

“Over the years, it has become traditional that bushes are burnt during the harmattan season for various reasons.

“Which mostly include helping hunters to drive bush animals out of their hiding places for easy catch/kill while some might be to enable farmers prepare such lands for the next farming season, to mention but a few.

“Whatever may be the reason behind bush burning, it is advised that such fires are controlled so they do not escalate to unintended locations/areas.

“For those who burn domestic waste dumps within the neighbourhoods, caution must also be applied equally so that it does not lead to unprecedented consequences,” he said.

Ezeh also called on neighbourhoods that dump refuse/waste under electricity network or near distribution substations (transformers) to desist from such practice.

" We have had incidences where there were arcing from the cables and it led to fire outbreak on such refuse dumps which in turn destroyed our installations.

“Cigarette smokers and all those involved in the use of fireworks are appealed to by this period to apply caution; and dispose properly, and or strike and discharge appropriately to avoid fires escalating from them,” he said.