Previous Story
Rota suffers from power fluctuations, water shortages
|
Posted on Aug 18 2011
You think you have it bad on Saipan? On Rota, power fluctuations have been occurring due to broken insulator pins that need to be replaced. Engine alternators that have been damaged by moisture have also been causing unscheduled power interruptions. Water shortages were experienced by some customers for days due to a drained reservoir and damaged pipes.
Charles Manglona, the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. deputy director on Rota, said yesterday that unexpected power failures have been noted on the island since Aug. 1, particularly in feeder 2 areas that include Songsong Village. The power outages usually last two to three hours.
A Sinapalo resident, Barrie Toves, earlier told Saipan Tribune that besides the two- to three-hour outages noted in the early week of the month, his village also experienced almost a whole day of power outage that damaged their appliances.
Manglona said the lengthy power failure in Sinapalo was caused by broken insulator pins that needed to be replaced immediately. He said CUC has managed to temporarily rectify the problem by replacing eight insulator pins, but more needs to be replaced to prevent fluctuations.
Manglona said the damaged insulators are over 20 years old and must be replaced within 90 days. He said that CUC, with the assistance of the CIP Office, will buy more insulator pins for Rota.
“We cannot issue advance notice or information to our customers in situations like these because these are unexpected and unscheduled,” he explained.
He also denied receiving any complaints or calls about the power fluctuations. He encouraged residents to inform CUC of their concerns by calling his office or the power plant.
Sinapalo waterless for days
Manglona said that many of their customers in Sinapalo also experienced a water shortage for days as a result of a drained reservoir and damaged main water lines. He said that CUC tapped the water supply at its three wells to fill the drained reservoir. As of Wednesday night, he said 100 percent of customers in the affected areas had water.
Residents complained of a water shortage on Tuesday morning because of the drained supply at the Ginalang reservoir.
