KUCHING, April 22: Around 400 customers at Kampung Sampadi, Kampong Stoh, Kampung Rambungan, Kampung Sungai Cina and its surrounding areas in Lundu were without power round the clock on Wednesday (April 20) due to vandalised 33kV underground cables.
According to Sarawak Energy in a statement today, their technical team found the vandalised cable on a bridge along Jalan Sampadi on Wednesday morning after receiving an outage report.
Cable repair works commenced immediately and supply was successfully restored to all affected areas at 10.20pm.
A police report was lodged for investigation and the utility company is increasing patrols in the area.
Sarawak Energy’s Western Region manager Choo Min Chong expressed his concern regarding recent cases of equipment theft and vandalism.
Recently, a man was electrocuted while trying to steal electric cables at one of Sarawak Energy’s transformers near Serian-Sri Aman Road.
“Vandals remain unhindered by the serious electrical hazards and are willing to risk their lives for small gains leading to tragic events such as the recent fatality.
“Being too close to live electrical facilities is extremely dangerous and stealing cables can result in flashovers or electrocution, burns and even death. These regretful incidents are tragic examples of how stealing cables is not worth the risk,” he said.
Choo strongly advised the public to immediately report to Sarawak Energy when they see suspicious individuals near its electrical facilities.
“Their calls can minimise inconvenience to many customers and help curb vandalism activities,” he added.
In efforts to mitigate vandalism, the utility company said patrols has been increased and remote sensors has been installed to detect unauthorised entry at its facilities.
Sarawak Energy is also spreading awareness through various media and working closely with the community in rural areas to raise public awareness on vandalism and its consequences.
Joint operations with the Police will also be carried out to check recycling centres for trades of stolen copper cables among second hand dealers, it added.
The public can report suspicious activities to Sarawak Energy’s 24-hour Customer Care Centre at 1300-88-3111 or email customercare@sarawakenergy.com. Rest assured that all information obtained will be kept strictly confidential.— DayakDaily
