THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the highest number of electrocutions recorded in the past four years, Palakkad has emerged as the electrical accident capital of Kerala. In 2023-24, the district saw 54 electrical accidents and 27 deaths, both highest in the state, according to the statistics with the department of electrical inspectorate (DEI).
As many as 205 humans and 48 animals in the state were killed by electric shock over the past year, with the total number of accidents being 362. Palakkad recorded the highest number of accidents, 72, and deaths, 35, in the preceding 2022-23 as well. The number of deaths in the district in 2021-22 and 2020-21 were 27 and 38 respectively.
Thrissur is the second district with a high prevalence of electrical accidents. In 2023-24, Thrissur recorded 49 accidents. In terms of death, Thiruvananthapuram stood second with 22. In 2022-23, Thrissur was second in both accidents (47) and deaths (28).
Unauthorised electric fencing is among the major reasons for the unusually high number of accidents in Palakkad, says Santhosh K T, DEI’s electrical inspector in the district. The use of iron rods or ladders near power lines to pluck fruits and the absence of the Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB) at houses are other reasons.
The electrical inspectorate, the government department responsible for the safety of electrical installations, is taking steps to bring down the accident rate in the district, according to Santhosh. “We conduct several awareness programmes, mostly mass media campaigns. The number of accidents and deaths in the district saw a significant decline in 2023-24 compared to the previous year. Accidents came down from 72 to 54 and deaths from 35 to 27,” the inspector said.
Several old houses, especially in rural areas, lack RCCB and are susceptible to accidents. RCCB is an electrical safety device that cuts off electricity supply in case of electric leakage that causes accidents. The department had asked the Kerala State Electricity Board to create awareness on RCCB among consumers.
In 2023-24, there were nine deaths in the district due to electrocution from illegal fencing. “The menace is not confined to agricultural lands. Recently, we came across a case in which a woman was killed by a fence put around a poultry farm. The owner installed it to save birds from stray dogs,” Santhosh said.
Statistics
2023-24 2022-23
Accidents in state - 362 421
Human deaths - 205 209
Animal deaths - 48 65
Accidents
Palakkad - 54 72
Thrissur - 49 47
Human deaths
Palakkad - 27 35
Thiruvananthapuram - 22
Thrissur - 21 28