By Stanley Nwanosike
Enugu – The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) on Thursday, urged the people to ‘‘stay away from power-lines whenever it is raining’’ to avoid electrocution.
The company also pleaded with parents and guardians to ensure that children do not play in flowing or flood water during rains.
The company’s Head, Communication, Mr Emeka Ezeh, gave the advice while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu.
According to him, the advice becomes necessary because water is a high electricity conductor (substance that can transport electricity).
Ezeh also called on residents to avoid getting close to 33 KVA lines, 11 KVA lines and lines with lower voltages in their neighbourhoods or passage areas during rains.
According to him, the wires in these lines can snap and cut or at times, vehicles knock down the electric poles and the wire drop on the wet or flood floor or on running water as well.
‘‘EEDC is a safety conscious organisation and at every time, we engage and educate our customers on the need for them to be safe and ensure they maintain safe environment.
‘‘We are in the raining season and water is a conductor; that is why we advise our customers to stay away from power-lines whenever it is raining.
‘‘Likewise, children that play under the rain, while it is raining should desist from doing that.
‘‘There are situations where there would be incidents somewhere that the wires will snap or poles will fall on flood water or flowing water moving down a neighbourhood.
‘‘Once that flood or flowing water is in contact with that wire, the water carries the current (power) of that wires, and if anybody is caught by that water, that person will be electrocuted,’’ he warned.
Ezeh also cautioned on handling electrical appliances or switches with wet hands, adding that such negative practices could lead to electrocution as well.
‘‘It is, however, regrettable that with incident of electrocution, you still see people selling or out-rightly leaving in houses directly under these lines.“
He, however, appealed to EEDC customers for prompt information on situation of wire snap, pole fall and other faults in their neighbourhoods, through its call centre hotlines; area feeder managers or marketers cell-phone numbers.
‘‘These numbers are also written boldly in their bills or part of the online message sent to customers when the payments of their bills are done electronically.“