Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi(Escom) public relations manager Kitty Chigota says it will take some time to restore high voltage power lines in some districts affected by Cyclone Freddy.
She said this on Sunday during a damage assessment tour of Thyolo, Mulanje and Phalombe districts.
She said: ”Factors delaying total restoration of the affected districts include accessibility of areas where our transformers and power lines were affected, availability of replacement materials in our warehouse, severity of the damages and weather conditions as the rains have not completely stopped.
Chingota said the Mulanje- Thyolo transmission line has been cut off at Thuchila River, which led to power outages in Thyolo and some parts of Mulanje.
”Our Engineers have turned to the Chigumula Transmission line to restore power in Thyolo. This means the district does not have any backup should the Chigumula line have a challenge,” she said.
Chingota said it will take time to restore power on the Mulanje side as it requires to redesign the transmission line.
A resident of Bvumbwe in Thyolo Masangwa Jonny said they spent 10 days without power.
”We are just trying to survive. We had fresh foods in the refrigerators but it went bad,” he said.
Phalombe resident Boyd Mapira said the power outages has affected his business.
He has asked Escom to speed up rehabilitation works to restore power in the district.
Despite damaging the electricity infrastructures, Cyclone Freddy also caused damage to roads and buildings.
Last year, Cyclone Ana damaged Kapichira Hydro Power Station, Taking off 129 megawatts from the national grid.
Source: The Nation_March 22, 2023_By Brenda Mkosi-Malawi News Agency