40 Electric Substations Turned Out To Be Turned Out By PLN When Rain Hits Jakarta

Photo via Antara

JAKARTA - PLN briefly extinguished 40 electrical substations in the Tangerang City and South Tangerang areas; Pondok Aren, Jombang, Maharta, to Pondok Kacang due to heavy rains that have been pouring since Friday, July 16.

"This is for the safety of the public because there are puddles. PLN is quick to secure and monitor electricity conditions during floods. And as of Saturday morning at 08.00 WIB, 39 substations have been declared safe and are back on," said PLN GM Distribution Main Unit (UID) for Greater Jakarta Doddy B. Pangaribuan in a statement in Jakarta, Saturday, July 16, quoted from Antara.

PLN, said Doddy, asked the public to remain vigilant if the water rose and caused puddles. If the water has entered the house, immediately turn off the electricity from the kWh meter to avoid the danger of being electrocuted because water is a conductor of electricity.

Next, continued Doddy, unplug all electrical equipment that is still plugged in and raise the electronic equipment to a safer place.

"People can contact PLN through the PLN Mobile application, Contact Center 123, or come directly to the nearest regional office to ask officers to turn off electricity in flooded areas through distribution substations," he said.

Doddy said that the blackout of the substation was due to heavy rains and flooding of people's homes, PLN assets or both, there was a danger that could occur, namely being electrocuted because water is one of the conductors of electricity that can flow electricity to the human body.

After the flood recedes, people can clean their houses, electronic equipment, including electrical installations until they are dry and the normalization of electricity by PLN will be carried out if the electrical installations and residents are dry and ready to be electrified.

Post-flood electricity restarting will be preceded by the signing of the minutes witnessed by the Head of RT/RW or local community leaders.

"We also urge when it rains, do not take shelter near electrical installations such as poles, substations, or street lighting to avoid danger," said Doddy.

People also need to use personal safety equipment such as waterproof boots when passing through puddles of water to avoid the risk of electric current leaking or broken glass, nails, and bacteria.

Electric current leaks can occur due to friction between the electric cable and other cables that are not installed according to the rules or even do not have a permit on the PLN pole, please note that the cables and poles along the road are PLN utilities. Various telecommunications, telematics and street lighting providers also lay cables and require poles to operate.

"People who take illegal electricity directly from the poles are also very dangerous because the cables are not standard and have the potential to cause leakage currents. The leaked illegal cables could have stuck to the poles so that the poles have electricity and if the flood waters around it there can be electricity, very dangerous," said Doddy.

PLN has routinely inspected the poles and cables under the authority of PLN to ensure that the distribution of electrical energy to the community is in normal and safe conditions. The public can also report to PLN if they encounter dangerous electrical poles and cables.