Residents across the Upper East Region are currently grappling with frequent power outages and persistent low voltage, a situation that has intensified the discomfort of the ongoing heat season and disrupted both household and commercial activities.
Many residents say the unstable electricity supply has made life increasingly difficult, especially at night when temperatures are high and the need for fans and other cooling devices becomes essential. Several businesses that rely heavily on electricity, including cold store operators, welders, and hairdressers, have also reported losses due to the inconsistent power supply.
The Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), the main power distributor in the region, has acknowledged the challenges and attributed part of the problem to illegal activities such as cable theft and power infrastructure vandalism.
Speaking to the *BlueWaves Radio News Team, the Area Engineer for the Upper East and North East Regions, *Ing. Ishmael Ben Kwofie, cautioned the general public against engaging in power and cable theft, describing it as a serious threat to the company’s operations and service delivery.
According to him, the increasing incidents of cable theft are severely affecting the stability of electricity supply across several communities in the region. He explained that when cables are stolen or damaged, it interrupts power distribution and requires significant time and resources to repair.
Ing. Kwofie stressed that such illegal activities not only disrupt power supply but also place additional financial burdens on the electricity distribution company, which ultimately affects the quality of service delivered to customers.
He therefore appealed to residents to support NEDCo by safeguarding electricity infrastructure in their communities and reporting suspicious activities to authorities.
“We urge the public to help protect our installations. When cables are stolen or transformers are vandalized, it affects the entire community and leads to prolonged outages,” he stated.
Residents, however, continue to call on NEDCo to intensify maintenance efforts and provide timely communication whenever there are planned outages or faults in the power system.
With temperatures rising across the region, many households are hoping for a more stable power supply in the coming weeks to ease the impact of the heat and restore normal economic activities.
Source: BlueWaves Radio 93.7 FM | Maurice Duncan
