PURC urges public to protect utility Infrastructure as dry season intensifies

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) in the Upper East Region has called on the public to take responsibility for safeguarding utility infrastructure, particularly electricity poles, as the dry season peaks in northern Ghana.

Speaking on the Big Mike Breakfast Show on Thursday, December 11, the Upper East Regional Manager of PURC, Seth Kponyo, stressed that the protection of public utility equipment is a shared duty, noting that damage to these assets ultimately affects consumers.

“When they say something belongs to the government, who is the government? It is you and I,” he said. “So when something is public, it belongs to all of us. Unfortunately, some people see equipment belonging to NEDCo, VRA, or the Ghana Water Company and assume it is not their concern. Others even intentionally destroy them. But at the end of the day, the cost comes back to us as consumers.”

Kponyo explained that the destruction of utility infrastructure, often caused by bushfires during the dry season, has direct financial implications. Losses incurred by utility providers are factored into tariff proposals, which can lead to increases.

“Those costs are part of the proposals submitted during major tariff reviews,” he noted. “If a utility provider reports losing, for example, 1,000 poles to fires, someone has to pay for that. That money eventually comes through the tariffs that you and I pay.”

He advised farmers to create fire belts around electricity poles on their farmlands to prevent bushfires from damaging them. He also encouraged the public to promptly report incidents of fire and any deliberate destruction of utility property.

Kponyo reiterated that safeguarding utility assets is essential for ensuring uninterrupted service delivery and avoiding unnecessary financial burdens on consumers.

Mike 105.3FM | Navrongo | David Adapuna