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| Sunday, 23 November 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Blackouts again? by ANTON NONIS The frequent and unannounced power cuts in various parts of the country, including Colombo has become a daily inconvenience, disrupting regular activities of both the domestic and commercial consumer. Irate consumers are at a loss to understand why power failures keep occurring so frequently, they charge the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) of resorting to underhand tactics in its bid to conserve power. They also accuse the CEB of causing widespread damage to electrical equipment. The CEB admitted that the Head Office in Colombo and the regional offices received a number of complaints from consumers urging remedial action. According to CEB sources, most complaints come from Colombo, Sri Jayawardenapura, Kaduwela and Mount Lavinia-Ratmalana areas. Complaints are also received from outstation areas like Ratnapura, Aturugiriya, Thulhiriya and Veyangoda. Although no specific reason has been given for the power cuts, engineers investigating the complaints say that it could occur in any of the three stages-viz. generation, transmission or distribution. The CEB is said to be mainly dealing with faults arising in the transmission process at present. But officials admitted that a closer supervision and attendance to generation and distribution was essential if frequent cuts are to be prevented. They said the engineers would also have to constantly monitor the substations and high tension wires in affected areas for repairs. CEB sources revealed that failures in the transmission process cropped up due to failure in replacing electrical gadgetry on time. A sizeable extent of the country's electrical network is said to be `worn out' due to over use and due to repairs not being carried out. Some of the gagetry at the Kelanitissa-Kolonnawa high tension line, installed in 1963, is said to have been in use for oveer 40 years. Grid substations increased the capacities of power in the area and compensated for demand increases in power. However, the CEB had not installed substations in each case. In Thulhiriya, CEB carried out only a rehabilitation program on the substation instead of adding to it. Power failures in the Kelanitissa-Kolonnawa have given rise to disruptions in several areas including Sri Jayawardenapura, Kaduwela and otheer suburban areas. Many of these areas suffered breakdowns while the repair and development work was in progress, CEB sources said. According to the Ratmalana Planning engineer, M. M Sabri, such instances occur alltoo often in the area and and the branches have to be cut regularly. Residents are expected to assist the CEB by keeping their tress free from the power lines. A branch touching one line would cause the trip to go off. When the contact is with both lines, there is a breakdown in power, CEB officials said, warning consumers about the dangers inherent in the process. The dissipated current would travel along the tree and may electrocute a person in contact with the tree. The danger is more on rainy days, they said. In the suburbs and outstations, CEB will attend to the lopping of such trees. This might require the power to be switched off for several hours in the day. But in Colombo the problem is lesser as the cable system is installed underground. On the Galle Road, especially in Mount Lavinia, Ratmalana and upto Moratuwa, power interruptions had been a common feature. According to Sabri, there had been disruptions in power from Mount Lavinia upto Moratuwa from time to time due to development work that was being carried out in the area. Triple switch construction and augmenting of transformers were some of them. A CEB engineer questioned as to whether the CEB could guarantee a trouble free power supply for the consumer, he said "no guarantees can be given. Major power breakdowns occur even in New York." |
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