Building near powerlines is very dangerous

GAUTENG.- Eskom has said that it notes an escalation in homes being built within power line servitudes without Eskom approval. The national power supplier said that this  is not only against its regulations but also poses a number of safety risks and appealed to the public to stop doing this.

Eskom said that the land below and adjacent to a power line is called a servitude and that this servitude belongs to the relevant landowner in that area but it has sole right to this land since it has to maintain and fix that line from time to time.

“The perception that power lines are harmless due to their size and overhead distance could not be more wrong. In order to ensure the safety of communities, residents are not allowed to live within power line servitudes because it is almost impossible to ensure their safety,” says Miranda Moahlodi, Senior Manager for Occupational Health and Safety at Eskom.

A statement by Eskom said that electricity transmitted or distributed on power lines can be up to 765 000 volts and that a fault anywhere on the power line may cause very high current to flow down to the ground. If somebody is close to the line, fault current can flow through the person and kill him or her. Also, a conductor may break due to strong winds or bad weather and land on a shack/house or a person, which could kill or seriously hurt the inhabitants.

The statement further said that there have been incidences where residents have been injured due to metal objects that have come into contact with live electricity. Metal is a very good conductor of electricity and there is a possibility of an arc to a shack built within a power line servitude. If lightning hits the line, as it does in many cases due to the height of a line, a flash of electricity may occur to the homes in the servitude.

“If Chiefs or traditional authorities want to give pieces of land to their people and these stands are in an Eskom servitude, they must speak to the local Eskom office.  The traditional leaders and Eskom can then together make sure that all the people get pieces of land away from the power lines, ensuring their safety,” continues Moahlodi adding that at the same time developers should make sure that the required clearance is maintained when access roads are built crossing the servitudes.

“We hope that the public will heed this call and assist us by only building in designated areas that have been approved by the local municipality and government. We will continue to educate communities about electricity safety – ensuring that we all use electricity safely and responsibly, remains one of our central goals,” Moahlodi concludes.