ELECTRICITY POWER FAILURES

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Mr Ang Nam Piau asked the Minister for the Environment if he will ascertain from the Public Utilities Board the reasons for the frequent electricity power failures in the six months from September, 1978.

The Minister for the Environment (Mr Lim Kim San): Mr Speaker, Sir, the main causes of power failure in Singapore are inclement weather, ground subsidence and careless contractors. Falling trees during a stormy weather sometimes snap overhead lines, but more often the tree branches short-circuit uninsulated lines. Ground subsidence caused by heavy rain and poor shoring by contractors damage underground cables and distribution equipment. For example, the very heavy rainfall in December 1978 is more than double that for 1979 so far. Another cause is careless contractors, who, during excavations, damage cables accidentally. This occurs because of intensive construction activities. A secondary cause of power failure is that some consumers overload power supply, leading to damage in the network.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the PUB makes every effort to reduce power failures. Bare overhead lines are being progressively replaced by insulated lines to reduce short-circuiting. Contractors are required to locate all underground cables within worksites by examining plans or digging trial trenches. They also have to pay for damaged cables. The PUB sometimes assists contractors at road sites to avoid damage. However, Sir, given a network of nearly 30,000 km of cables and the nature of the causes of power failures, a fault-free system is impossible.