With the country currently in the grip of the devastating flood, fatalities and injuries from electrocution are on the rise mainly in the flood-affected districts. Two siblings died after they came in contact with live electric wires in Matlab Uttar Upazila of Chandpur district on Monday night.
Two siblings Rajib and Rubel met their tragic end due to electrocution while leaving their house. Rajib first came in contact with electric wire attached to the collapsible gate of their house and died on the spot. Rubel also met the same fate while trying to rescue his brother.
A lack of awareness makes people vulnerable to fatal electrical shocks while doing their daily work. Unsafe high-voltage electric wires hanging from the poles have turned into death trap for the people across the country.
Many people die from electrocution across the country every year due to the unsafe power lines. The incidents of electrocution is now on the rise, particularly in the flood-hit areas of the country. As the low-lying areas of the country’s northeast and southeast districts, particularly Feni, Cumilla, Khagrachhari, Noakhali, Chattogram, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Lakshmipur and Cox's Bazar have remained submerged by floodwater, experts stress that the government should take immediate measures and make people aware of electrocution to prevent such fatal incidents.
Live electric wires hanging from the poles are mainly responsible for such tragic deaths as fatal incidents happen when people come in contact with live wires.
Due heavy rain, people of the capital city of Dhaka, other metropolitan cities, district towns and even remote villages fear electrocution.
Many people die from electrocution
across the country every year due
to the unsafe power lines
When the monsoon sets in over the country, we witness rise in deaths from electrocution every year. When roads, streets, lanes and by-lanes are flooded with rainwater, many tilted or hanging live electrical wires or the poles partially or totally go under rain water, which creates an electrical field in the water. The commuters are feel unsafe on their way as they cannot trace where the electrical cables on roads and streets remain submerged by rainwater. The floodwater also tears off electric cables, posing risk of fatal accidents.
Apart from the urban, uncovered electric lines are also running through the rural areas. The electric wires are seen hanging indiscriminately while many villagers are lighting up their houses and doing business by arranging power connections from different sources like nearby shops and illegally from electric poles.
Besides, electricity is being supplied to houses, business shops and other purposes, using bamboo poles at many villages under the very nose of the authorities concerned. Many poles have been set up on the farm lands to carry the high voltage cables, posing a high risk to the farmers and other people of the country’s many areas. People who catch catch fish in a water body close to their houses are also vulnerable to electrocution. Thousands of people pass through the streets, footpaths, village roads and even farmlands throughout the day and night, mostly without noticing the open electric wires.
They can come in contact with live electric wires anytime and meet the traffic end of their life. A large number of electric poles in different districts of the country lies tilted for a long time. Every house has now electricity connections across the country.
If the power distribution lines like electric poles and wires are not safe, incidents of electrocution will continue. The ministries concerned must take immediate measures to remove risky electric wires and replace vulnerable poles with new ones. Overhead cables will also have to be replaced with underground cables as early as possible to avert such tragic deaths.
