Power Back In Some Areas
With many families in Vanua Levu still without power, teams from Energy Fiji Limited teams are working frantically to ensure full power supply.
A number of areas in Labasa have power restored, which includes Delailabasa, Tuatua, Namara, Naodamu and the main town.
Areas that are still without power are Malau, Wainikoro, Vunika, Wailevu, Tabia, Korovatu, Vunivau, Siberia, Bulileka, Waiqele, and many more.
Riteshma Pratap of Nakama said they were waiting patiently for power to be restored.
Already, they are unable to store food in the fridge.
“It has already been more than a week without proper light inside the home. We are lighting diyas or using torches,” he said.
Iqbal Khan, of Vunimoli said: “It is hard to spend the night in the dark, but staying like this brings back so much of our childhood memories.”
Another resident, Vishal Chand, said he would charge his phone at work so that he could stay connected with families.
“We use a kerosene stove to cook our meals and spend the nights using a candle or hurricane lamp,” he said.
He is thanking the EFL crews for sacrificing their time during this festive season to help restore power in the North.
EFL’s Power Restoration priority’s following a cyclone event is as follows:
- Major hospitals and health centres;
- Water pumping stations; sewerage treatment plants (WAF);
- Central business districts, commercial and industrial areas;
- Residential areas.
EFL wishes to remind the public to treat all broken power lines as live and to exercise appropriate precaution by staying away and keeping others away from all broken power lines.
The public are urged not to touch any EFL power ine on the ground.
Isolation of service lines
In the process of power restoration, if the EFL teams feel that the service line or the service/intermediary pole is defective, the service line will be isolated. Customers will then need to engage the services of a registered electrical contractor to carry out the repairs.
The EFL sincerely apologises to all customers who are yet to get power supply restored to their installations/homes.
It says every metre of the power line has to be physically inspected, safely repaired where required, before it can be energised
While this process is time-consuming, it says ensuring the safety and security of power supply was critical.
Feedback: renu.radhika@fijisun.com.fj
