THE Nelson Mandela Municipality’s electricity and energy directorate is urging children to stop playing with their kites under power lines.
This after multiple power outages occurred in Port Elizabeth were mainly caused by kite activities along the servitudes in which the power lines run.
The power lines run through and supply Bethelsdorp, Salt Lake, Hillside, Cleary Park, Arcadia, West End and Salsoneville.
The power lines also transport electricity to Ditchling, Chatty, Greenbushes, Rowallan Park, Lorraine, Summerstrand, Arlington, Walmer, Malabar and Gelvandale areas.
The directorate’s staff have to remove kite tails from the power lines on a daily basis.
According to municipal spokesperson, Mthubanzi Mniki, children play under the power lines with kites and often aim to land the kites on the lines to cause a flash.
“The kite tail which contains a piece of string or material if it is long enough, can touch two adjacent conductors or lines causing a flash and consequently extended power outages,” said Mniki.
“These kites on the power lines lead to extended power outages, which can last for a few hours to a few days, and cause power dips. A power dip is the dimming of lights or loss of electricity for a few seconds.”
Mniki said a power dip which is caused by kite activities, in Bloemendal for example, could cause a power dip throughout the power network, which will result in all the customers in the metro experiencing dim light.
He further said during rainy, misty, dewy and windy conditions, flashovers are more prevalent due to kite tails that are lodged between adjacent lines, causing a flashover to occur. This would result in a loss of supply to consumers in the vicinity of the flashover and to the areas fed from those lines.
“The dimming light causes implications for factories and industries which use sensitive electronic equipment.
“Industrial customers are reliant on stable electricity supplies for their manufacturing processes,” said Mniki. Unnecessary power interruptions, such as dips caused by kites, can also damage televisions, fridges and microwave ovens.
Mniki said the municipality would not be held liable or responsible for replacing any appliances damaged due to electricity outages caused by kites.
He further said it should also be borne in mind that the flying of kites in the vicinity of high voltage power lines could lead to electrocution, causing injury or death.
The municipality would not be held liable or responsible should any person suffer injury or death due to kite activity under power lines.
Mniki said removing kites from power lines was a labour-intensive job and required plenty of safety precautions before they could be removed.
This meant that the power line had to be switched off again, causing another power outage to remove the kites and clear the lines.
The electricity and energy directorate previously embarked on an education drive, educating schools and distributing pamphlets explaining the dangers and consequences of kite activities along power line and servitudes.
“Due to the nationwide lockdown, the schools are closed, and it is not possible to communicate with the children. Parents and custodians are urged to inform children about the dangers of flying kites close to power lines and to encourage them to educate their friends as well,” said Mniki.
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