REA to give light to 1, 000 grass-thatched houses 

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 08:23:27 +0000

By BUUMBA CHIMBULU

THE Rural Electrification Authority (REA) has embarked on a new concept meant to connect power to over 1, 000 grass-thatched houses in rural areas this year.

The concept dubbed “Village Electrification” is a countrywide programme targeting specifically grass-thatched houses in deep rural areas.

This is the concept which REA is using to connect power to the newly created districts.

According to REA Chief Executive Officer, Geoffrey Musonda, all connections for this concept were made using ready boards to the targeted households in the project area.

Mr. Musonda said this concept had already been tested in Mwansabombwe where it involved the supply of electricity to over a thousand beneficiaries.

Mr Musonda was speaking when he appeared before a Parliamentary committee for transport, works and supply focusing on developing infrastructure in the newly created districts.

“There is a new concept which we are calling Village Electrification. The same thing we did in Mwansabombwe, we are doing in almost all the provinces this year. As we speak now, we are doing procurement and you will see us in all the provinces. We are going to electrify villages”

Mr. Musonda said REA had taken into safety measures to ensure that the communities were protected.

He explained that they had experimented this project for about three years and were confident that it was safe.

“In the last three years that we have been experimenting on this project, we have not recorded any accident. What we do is that we just break into the wall of the structure and against there we put a poll and a ready board, it is sealed completely, there are no naked wires,

“So even if there was a spark, probably nothing would happen, it would just trip. This is technology which has been proven elsewhere and we feel confident and we are going to every part of the country so it is very safe,” Mr. Musonda said.