Hazardous Power Lines Alarm Pattaya Residents

November 17, 2012

Two recent fires resulting from short circuits of power lines at a Sukhumvit Road intersection have worried central Pattaya residents, who say the neglected mass of power lines is an ongoing hazard. City workers have done some repairs, but the residents said more needs to be done because the area is close to a school.

PATTAYA – November 16, 2012 [PDN]; at 2.30 p.m. a reporter went to investigate complaints by central Pattaya residents about hazardous power lines in their area. The troublesome spot was located at the left-turn intersection on Sukhumvit Road next to Muang Pattaya 5 school.

At the scene, the reporter saw the problem of damaged and burnt electric lines all over the area, which were lying on the sidewalk and dangling from electric poles. About 50 meters way, there was also an electrical box blackened by smoke.

Residents said the location is a central converging area of electric lines, but it is always in disorder and has not been maintained, so there have been regular short-circuits that have caused fires.

“This area had problem of electric lines for a long time,” a resident said. On November 9, at 6 p.m. there was a severe fire that burned many power lines and caused them to fall, he said. There was also a second later fire, caused by the electrical wiring that is all entangled and dysfunctional.

Concerned residents asked that the responsible municipal departments and related organizations come to inspect and fix the problem to prevent future short circuits and fires. The residents said the area is very busy with many shops and people walking by, and the foreign tourists also use the foot path a lot. So any serious accidents or injuries may destroy the good image of tourism in Pattaya.

While he was there, the reporter noted that Pattaya city workers were doing repair and maintenance in that area and handling the burnt electric lines. He also noted that they were installing new Fiber Optic lines that he assumed would be quickly operable.

However, residents still were afraid that fires will burn again because the large number of electric lines are still disorganized. So the residents would like to plead with the responsible city departments to separate and organize the entangled electric and signal lines, to protect people from danger and also promote the good image of Pattaya.