Around 25 households in Mertsham-Thragom Chiwog in Trashigang’s Kanglung Gewog were affected by an electrical short circuit at around 5:30 yesterday morning. The incident damaged internet cables and several electrical appliances, including computers. While the exact cause has yet to be confirmed, Bhutan Power Corporation or BPC officials suspect animals, particularly monkeys, may have triggered the short circuit.
Although there were no casualties, the short circuit damaged several appliances and devices, including electric meters, MCBs, geysers, television sets, and other household items.
The short circuit also affected the Kanglung Community Police Centre, damaging its computer and internet facilities.
Residents say this is the first time such an incident has occurred in the chiwog.
“I heard a strange sound and noticed a burning smell. I checked my electric switch, but everything was turned off. But I saw the fan spinning, the light flickering, and even fire near the doorstep. I quickly turned off the MCB. Then, I went out to check on a neighbour’s house and saw fire coming from a refrigerator nearby,” said Singye Dorji, a resident, Thragom, Kanglung Gewog, Trashigang.
“I saw the MCB catch fire. I was so shocked, I couldn’t do anything. I called out to my neighbours, but no one responded. I tried to make a phone call, but my hands were shaking so much that I couldn’t even dial the number. I finally used a bamboo stick to switch off the MCB. If this had happened at night while we were asleep, we could have lost our home or even our lives,” said Lemo, another resident, Thragom, Kanglung Gewog, Trashigang.
Employees of BPC restored electricity to most of the affected households on the same day the incident occurred. The remaining seven households will have their power restored today.
The BPC’s manager in Trashigang said the exact cause of the short circuit is still unknown but they suspect it may have been caused by animals. He added that their current focus is on restoring electricity to all the households.
As for replacing damaged appliances, he said he is not in a position to make any commitments at this time.
Meanwhile, residents say that monkeys sometimes come to the area to eat maize, although not very often.
International news reports show that in some cases, monkeys’ interference with power grids has caused nationwide power outages.
According to experts, monkeys can trigger short circuits and outages by climbing power poles and coming into contact with high-voltage wires, leading to damage and widespread power outages.
Besides monkeys, squirrels, snakes, raccoons, and birds can also cause a high-voltage grid to shut down.
Sonam Darjay, Trashigang
Edited by Sonam Pem
