Mauritania's SOMELEC group launched a field campaign in Nouakchott on Saturday to remove haphazard and illegal electricity connections and regularise connections to poles and the grid in line with technical standards and safety requirements.
In a statement, the group said the campaign aims to reduce the repeated fires affecting some electricity poles and installations, a leading cause of which is the use of unqualified people from outside the company's official technical teams to carry out connections.
It said these practices involve poor-quality cables and crude, haphazard connection methods that cause short circuits, especially at peak load, exposing poles and transformers to loads beyond their capacity.
The company warned that obtaining electricity illegally poses a direct danger to residents' lives and property, and that such connections can become a threat to residential neighbourhoods.
SOMELEC said protecting the grid and poles is no longer only a matter of technical work and maintenance but a shared responsibility requiring citizens' cooperation and awareness, urging people to oppose and report illegal practices to keep residents safe and ensure continuity of service.
