General News of Monday, 23 October 2017

Source: classfmonline.com

Municipal Assembly building sitting on a time bomb

Solomon Sarpong  said they would embark on a nationwide audit in various MMDAS Solomon Sarpong said they would embark on a nationwide audit in various MMDAS

A New Juaben Municipal Assembly building, occupied by a number of offices, including the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Municipal Cashier among others, will soon be gutted by fire if urgent attention is not given to it.

An electrical audit done on the building by the Energy Commission has revealed that the wires, sockets and switches on the 60-year-old structure are so weak that, if they are not changed immediately, they can cause a fire outbreak anytime soon.

Leading the inspection, which was conducted as part of a stakeholder engagement between the Ghana Energy Commission and Professional Electricians, as well as property owners in Koforidua, Kwame Appiagyei Torto, an electrical inspector at the Commission, recommended that the Assembly should quickly change the eroded wiring system to ensure safety.

Meanwhile, the Energy Commission has hinted that beginning November this year, it would fully enforce regulations governing electrical wiring in households.

Disclosing this at the stakeholder engagement meeting, Solomon Sarpong, the Lead Officer, said they would embark on a nationwide audit in various MMDAS, public institutions as well as hotels to ensure that electrical installations and wiring are in good conditions to prevent disasters.

Solomon Sarpong also stressed that all uncertified electricians would be prohibited from holding themselves as professional electricians, since they would not be recognised as members of the Community of Electrical Wiring Professionals (CEWP).

He called on Ghanaians, especially landlords, to only engage professional electricians to ensure safety in their homes.