UEDCL launches campaign to protect power infrastructure in Acholi

Gulu City | The Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has launched an anti-bush burning campaign in a bid to protect power infrastructure in the districts of Gulu, Amuru, and Adjumani among others.

In a press conference held on Tuesday, at UEDCL regional office in Gulu, Jonan Kiiza, Head Corporate and Stakeholder Affairs at UEDCL disclosed that the company is counting losses after several electricity distribution poles have been destroyed due to bush burning.

“In Gulu, Amuru and Adjumani, we have lost 47 electricity distribution medium voltage poles in this dry season and the consequences have been dire to the local economies because of increased outage hours,” Kiiza said.

According to Kiiza, besides the burning, vandalism and theft of the electricity infrastructure such as the fire fabrics and stay wires has worsened the situation.

He further notes that despite improved power supply in the region, there is still a challenge to maintain supply reliability in large parts of Northern and North Eastern Uganda.

“This year has been particularly bad as wildfires are quickly blazing out of control and the flames are devouring everything in their path, particularly troubling are the lost crops which are threatening food sustainability,” he revealed.

In a bid to curb the vice earlier, Kiiza said the utility introduced a new technology of installing fireproof fabrics around the poles in the places that are prone to wildfires to help prevent them from burning; however, this did not yield so much as most of it was vandalised.

He however, appealed to the public in the greater northern Uganda to watch-over and report any illegal bushfires to their local authorities or the nearest police station.

“Whereas, burning bushes is a social practice during the drought ahead of the planting season, it is illegal, dangerous and affects the electricity distribution infrastructure; thus, it also causes loss of lives and compromises the reliability of power to the final consumers,” Kiiza noted.

Paul Ssempira Ssewava, Head Commercial Services, UEDCL, North-East revealed that bush burning damages wooden electricity lines by setting poles on fire causing them to burn, weaken and eventually collapse hence those that remain standing often fall when the rains start.

“Last week, 3 poles got burnt at Custom Corner Cell in Bardege-Layibi Division, Gulu City; and we lost about 38 million shillings in sales; just within 15 hours and this cut off about 1600 customers,” Ssempira disclosed.

According to UEDCL, they are involving the local, cultural and spiritual leaders in developing productive linkages and driving behavioral change within the affected communities.