The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has issued a desperate warning that the country will suffer widespread blackouts as a result of the destruction of its underground cables. It said the situation could be very severe in June, when Ghanaians were expected to switch on their electronic gadgets to follow the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament in South Africa. Information reaching the Daily Graphic indicates that the Kumasi metropolis and other parts of the Ashanti Region have particularly suffered tremendous destruction of underground cables over the past two weeks, plunging many parts of the metropolis and the region into darkness. Although ECG officials are unable to quote specific figures in terms of cost, they insist that the destruction and theft of electricity cables are imposing a heavy financial burden on the company in respect of repairing the damage and restoring power supply. The Ashanti Regional Public Relations Officer of the ECG, Mr Erasmus Kyere Baidoo, cited one construction company, Shinshung Company Limited, as destroying an underground electricity cable at a spot near the Garden City radio station in the course of constructing a road. But when contacted on telephone, an official of Shinshung Company Limited, Mr Choi, wondered why the ECG went to the media with such a matter, instead of contacting the Department of Urban Roads (DUR), which was the company's client. He said he was not aware of any destruction caused by the company to ECG underground cables and promised to verify the allegation. Mr Baidoo said another incident occurred on Monday, May 17, 2010 when a contractor who had been engaged by an assembly member in the Suame area to grade a stretch of road from the Osbourne Junction to the main Suame Magazine Road cut a 33kVA underground cable, as a result of which power supply from primary stations 'E' at Suame Magazine and 'C' at the Airport Roundabout was cut. He pointed out that, the destruction caused widespread blackout to consumers in many parts of Kumasi and the Ashanti Region as a whole, adding that it took several days for the ECG to repair ,the damage and restore power supply. He said articulated and other haulage trucks were also disturbing the stability of power delivery in the region by knocking down electricity poles and bringing down overhead conductors on distribution poles with careless abandon. He urged contractors to contact the ECG to know where underground cables were laid before undertaking construction works, so that installations were not destroyed. Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana