Involve ECG in the installation of streetlights - Communities told

Mr Isaac Asiamah-Amprofi, Agona West Municipal Technical Officer of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has advised communities to involve the company in the installation of streetlights to ensure that the correct thing was done to protect installed transformers from damages.

He said the installation of streetlights without technical advice from the company, was posing serious threat to the operations of ECG and lives of its workers.

Speaking with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Agona Swedru, Mr Asiamah-Amprofi said, since communities does not have the technical know-how, they usually used high voltage streets bulbs, which total wattages were above the capacity of their transformers.

This he said was the cause of periodic break downs.

He said it had been found out also that some people used single switch to control most of the streetlights in the town against the rules and regulations of the ECG.

Mr Asiamah-Amprofi cited a situation at Agona Kwanyako recently, where a worker engaged in the maintenance of a low tension work, was nearly electrocuted when somebody switched on the streetlights adding “the situation could have been avoided if different switches were installed.”

He described this situation as very dangerous and unacceptable.

Mr Asiamah-Amprofi lauded the efforts of some District Assemblies, Members of Parliament and individuals in the provision of streetlights, but stressed that the involvement of experts from the ECG was crucial at all times.

He said the company would soon introduce pre-paid meters in the Agona West Municipality and urged customers to cooperate to ensure its success when it took off.