Illegal power-tapping top reason for electrocution in SL

• 45 of 103 incidents due to illegal power lines drawn for cultivation or to kill wild animals 
• Up to 86% of casualties male, most incidents took place in Dec. 
• Casualties up from 89 in 2018 but down from high of 180 in 2012

Illegal power-tapping is the top reason for electrocutions in Sri Lanka, with 45 out of 103 total incidents reported in 2019 due to illegal power lines drawn for cultivation or to kill wild animals, a Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) report showed yesterday.

According to the Electrocution Analysis in Sri Lanka 2019, the second cause of electrocution was small-scale electrical repair work at home or in the workplace, with 10 incidents reported in this category. Illegal tapping was thus the top root cause of casualty, with over 48% involvement, and carelessness was a close second with 44% involvement.

On a provincial level, 30 incidents were reported from the Southern Province, 18 from the Central Province, and 13 from the Uva Province. Only three incidents were reported from the Western Province.

Age-wise, 20% of casualties were in the 40-50 year age group, and the 50-60 and 20-30 year age groups both had 19% each. Of the 103 casualties, 86% were male, and only 14% were female. The highest number of incidents were reported in December (16), October (13), and April (11).

There has also been an increase in electrocutions in the country compared to 2018, when only 89 incidents were reported. In 2017, 106 incidents were reported, and the highest number in the past decade was reported in 2012, when 180 incidents took place.