‘Dead bodies dey decompose for mortuary sake of ECG cut power to our community’

Some hospitals and mortuaries for Yilo and Manya Krobo municipalities dey

call families to come for de bodies of dia dead relations else dem go decompose.

Dis be sake of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) cut power to de area for two straight weeks.

“Dem call me say make we come carry my father dead body from de hospital,” Nene Narh Agbo talk BBC Pidgin.

He explain say dem deposit en father remains for newly built hospital for Somanya, but now de situation dey force dem to bury en father before de planned date.

“De Mortuary man call say dem no fit buy fuel for dia plant, so dem dey run de plant for like 8 hours then dem go off am again.”

“De fuel dey cost dem so if we no come for our dead body dem no know what go happen” he explain.

“We for bury my father by force now”

We send am to de mortuary on 17th July, 2022 wey we plan to bury am on 7th October, 2022 but we dey decide on what to do, maybe bury de body den do de funeral later.

Dis situation dey force we to bury my father before de planned time.

I be barber, I need electricity to work but for 14 days now I no dey work.

I for work to raise money for my father funeral and dis dey happen, I dey inside serious fix right now.” He talk.

Over 100,000 residents dey in darkness for two weeks

De power outage situation for Somanya plunge over 100,000 residents into darkness for two weeks.

Residents say dis dey affect dia businesses wey e san compromise dia safety in de evening.

“Robberies and theft dey on de increase, people dey suffer attacks, home dey face burgling. De streets be dark at night” Citizen Aboagye talk BBC Pidgin.

“My friend who dey employ about 140 people lay off about 30 staff sake of he dey buy fuel about Ghc3,000 to power company generators for work” he add.

Why ECG cut de community off national grid

ECG inside one statement in December 2021 accuse some residents of illegal connection.

“Sake of de on-going interference in our network as a result of de scaling down of our operation in Krobo area which happen sake of threats to our staff, ECG decide say dem go shutdown de feeders at de Bulk Supply Point (BSP) directly feeding the Krobo communities.”

According to ECG in dia statement. “dis go protect lives and properties of innocent customers and de general public within de Lower Manya Krobo and Yilo Krobo communities,” de statement talk.

In June dis year, ECG PRO Madam Sakyiwah Mensah talk say dem dey work with military to provide technical assistance in de installation of prepaid meters in de Krobo district.

According to Madam Sakyiwah, “customers who go refuse to accept prepaid meters go have dia post paid meters disconnected.”

Some residents also dey allegedely do illegal connections, others dey fail to pay dia electricity bills and when officials of ECG enter de community dem dey allegdegly assault dem physically.

Sake of that ECG switch off dia feeders which dey supply power to communities on July 27, 2022 to date.

ECG want de municipality to accept prepaid meters which go make am easy to manage electricity usage.

With prepaid meters residents dey pay before using electricity, just like how people dey buy airtime for phone calls.

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But de community wan retain old meters where dem go only pay for electricity at de end of de month, something most residents no dey do leaving ECG wit debt.