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Darkness descends in Beribi as vandals disrupt electricity BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Brunei - New 2 Borneo

Darkness descends in Beribi as vandals disrupt electricity

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:26 PM PST

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Thursday's blackout in the Beribi Industrial Area and its surrounding vicinity was attributed to the works of vandals, said Department of Electrical Services (DES) in a press statement yesterday, Brudirect reported.

The subsequent power disruption resulted from a vandalized eleven thousand volt distribution panel at the Main Intake Station (MIS) in Kg Kiarong. The press statement mentioned that investigations revealed a damage caused by 'irresponsible people who not only vandalized the MIS, but also stole the switchgear panel metallic cover sheets, a backup NiCD battery and an earthing cable from the station'.

Streetlamps along Jalan Perindustrian Beribi and a section of the Tungku Highway were also affected following the disruption.

It was not until 11.50pm on Thursday that electricity was restored in stages through the use of alternative sources. By 12.40am, power had been fully restored to all affected areas.

Acting Director of Electrical Services, Musa Mutali confirmed that 'vandals and thieves did the damage'. Musa also stated there was a minor electrical explosion that tripped the power supplies as a preventive measure. The explosion proved the effectiveness of safety measures that had been put in place by the DES.

According to him, three panels sustained minor damage and were still repairable. DES managed to complete repair works by 5pm yesterday. The repairs cost a few thousand dollars.

The department knew that the MIS was vandalized because only naïve people would want to open it. Musa lamented that some residents in affected areas were without electricity for two hours due to the vandals' irresponsible action. As to how the vandals were able to pull off such stunts were beyond Musa, as he said that 'you don't even have to touch it to get electrocuted because of the high voltage'.

The Acting Director added that DES was currently stepping up security measures at its facilities by fitting in metallic doors. The press statement also noted that during the blackout, DES' hotline received a flurry of complaints that resulted in thirty-minute line congestion.

DES apologized for any inconvenience caused by the outage. The department asked the cooperation of the public to report any suspicious activity at any DES facility to the department or make a complaint directly to the police. Damaging or stealing government property is an offence punishable by fine, imprisonment or both.

For more information, contact DES hotline at 144, Acting Director of DES at 8733489 or visit the department's Facebook page.

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BSM apologized, to deliver more fuels supply via land and sea

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 04:55 PM PST

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Brunei Shell Marketing Sdn Bhd (BSM) has clarified the interruption to fuel supply in Temburong District over the weekend period of January 31 to February 4, which has caused the difficulties to some customers recently in relation to the fuel supply in the Temburong District, ©BRUDIRECT.COM reported.

The reason was due to the closure of one of the two retail stations in Temburong District for the holidays which result the remaining one station to be overwhelmed by the higher than normal demand during the weekend. Efforts made on Tuesday, February 4, to provide additional fuel supply to the station were also temporarily affected as one of the delivery vehicles broken down.

Nevertheless the demand still exceeded the supply, prompting the stations to close early whilst waiting for supply to be replenish on the following day.

BSM said it was taking additional measures to increase the number of supply deliveries by utilising both road tankers and barge to ensure the fuel supply to Temburong District is suffice.

To avoid recurrence, any planned or unplanned closure of a station will be closely monitored. BSM said it will continue to work closely with the retailers to monitor fuel stock levels. Additionally, BSM is also considering using the combination of both road tanker and river barge delivery.

BSM has also conveyed its sincere regret for any inconvenience caused. BSM would like to assure its valued customers of its continuous commitment to provide the highest level of service. For further enquiries, member of the public can contact the BSM Hotline on 2244739 (Press 0) or the BSM Duty number 7194277.

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