ESCOM Losing 5 Transformers Weekly

Targeted by thieves - transformers Targeted by thieves - transformers - file photo

Electricity Supply of Malawi (ESCOM) says it is losing at least five transformers every week across the country owing to vandalism.

The power utility body's communications manager Innocent Chitosi, has told Zodiak Friday that over 220 transformers are not working in the southern region due to vandalism and few incidences of natural disasters such as, lightning.

"We are losing a lot of money due to vandalism. We are estimating that as ESCOM we are losing around K1 billion every year to vandalism,” he said.

Chitosi has lamented that the tendency is hugely affecting the institution and also provision of social services that rely on electricity, such as vaccines in health sector.

However, while commending the courts for handing over stiffer punishments to the culprits, he says the corporation has stepped up security efforts to arrest the vice which include, working with security agencies, local leaders and use of technologies.

Economist Wilward Tobias, has described the development as retrogressive forcing ESCOM to incur losses for the expenditures in replacing the vandalized infrastructure and also halting business activities in the affected areas.

"It's retrogressive because it means ESCOM has to procure new transformers to replace those that have been stolen. And that's an expenditure that should not have been be incurred and therefore may contribute to ESCOM not making profits or not performing well financially.

"For the time it has been stolen until such a time it will be replaced, all businesses relying on that transformer will be at standstill thereby affecting economy", Tobias said.

Balaka and Thyolo districts have latest incidents of such vandalism.

Recently, ESCOM called for stringent measures to regulate scrap metal industry believed to be contributing to the theft of its infrastructure to neighboring countries.

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