Douala: Ndogpassi in Great Fear as Torrential Rains Bring Down Electric Poles

Residents of Ndogpassi in the Douala 3 council have been living in a perpetual state of fear of electrocution after the fall of several electric poles damaged during torrential rains that also caused intense floods in the city.

According to sources, the heavy rains of last Wednesday did not only inconvenience the locals of Ndogpassi with floods but with the fall of nearly three medium voltage electricity poles which we learnt were already at the point of breakage before Wednesday’s natural disaster.

"We are pleading with Eneo to get us out of this situation because we live in fear. At each gust of wind, for fear of the fact that the pole will fall on the house,” said one of the residents of the neighbourhood.

According to these victims, this situation could be avoided, if the company in charge of electricity, Energy of Cameroon (Eneo) SA, had repaired the worn out poles following the alert by the populations.

“We are in danger! The first time the pole fell; it was supported by a fence and they strengthened it with two rafters they screwed on. Unfortunately, last Wednesday's rain tilted the pole again. And every time they're called, they never come,” another Ndogpassi resident said.

According to reports, the three poles in question are implanted one after the other and are completely damaged at the base, despite the fact that they had been reinforced by the agents of Eneo.

More than a year after the strengthening, these provisional measures are no longer up to the problem, which affects some fifty potential victims.

In addition to this case, several other districts of Douala are not immune to accidents caused by electricity poles. A month ago, a 12 year old child died in the "Bépanda Omnisport" neighbourhood in Douala 5, following an electrocution after the fall of a medium voltage pole.

It was only after this tragic event that the damaged poles were replaced. As in the majority of cases, the company in charge of electricity, which has led for several months, a replacement campaign for defective poles, promises to solve the problem in the near future.