Power Outages Hit Many Localities As Anglophone Crisis Digs In -ENEO Opts For Load Shedding As Denizens Cry Out

Constant power outage has remained a major concern to residents in the restive North West and South West Regions hit by conflict for the past three years.

Several localities have gone for months, weeks and days without electricity.

The most hard hit area in the past days is Bambui, Tubah Subdivision, Mezam Division of Cameroon’s North West Region.

Students writing the GCE Examinations or their peers in the University have been most affected as they are facing tough times revising lessons.

“Not only students suffer the consequences. Business persons, tailors, hairdressers, call box operators are all affected. Several localities in Momo, Bui, Menchum, Ngoketunjia, and Boyo Divisions are also hit.
Life has not been easy for us and we cannot tell how long this will last.”
A victim lamented.

Contacted by Mimi Mefo Info, the energy supply company has cited security constraints as one of the major setbacks faced by workers of SONATREL, the electricity transmission network.

The energy supply company, ENEO has now opted for load shedding as temporary solution to the prevailing situation: “Electricity cannot be provided in all the areas at the same time anymore, we think load shedding can help everyone rather than leave an entire village in the dark for long,” our source noted.

Quizzed on why power cut has become a phenomenon, we gathered that:

“According to SONATREL, an incident occurred on the Bafoussam-Bamenda distribution line, on the 20th May 2019, paralysing the transfer of energy along the supply line, consequently sending the entire North West Region out of electricity supply.

The company says technicians who were deployed to the field shortly after the incident could not identify the exact problem as a result of heightened insecurity in the region. They were then obliged to stop the operation to determine the exact cause of the problem, but unfortunately, the situation has been worsening as they confirmed to have received news of the break down of two high tension poles along the Bamenda-Bali supply line. Villagers send images of the collapsed main poles alongside the support wires.
Faced with the blackout across the region, the Bamenda thermal plant has been activated, but unfortunately, can only supply energy to the city of Bamenda, leaving the rest of the region in the dark.

The company in charge of energy supply says the solution to the problem on the main electricity supply line for the North West is far fetched, but they have put in place a system to rotate and ration energy supply to the conflict hit region”.

Some villages have however in the dark for several weeks.
When the situation will return to normal, remains unknown.

In its monthly report, The Electricity supply company, ENEO has said the North West and South West Regions are amongst the 150 areas hit by unstable power supply.

The security situation in the conflict hit zones was raised with no hope in sight for the helpless population.

Mimi Mefo Info
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