This month alone has seen two instances where large parts of Hulhumale' Phase 2 have lost power due to underground electricity cables being damaged. Many families faced difficulties yesterday when the power had gone out yesterday from 2:30pm to 6:00pm due to the negligence of road excavation workers, as was said by STELCO, due to the workers not paying enough attention.

The 12th of April saw a large part of Hulhumale' Phase 2 lose electricity for 10 hours with residents having to go about their day without electricity, which was because of the negligence of road excavation workers, stated STELCO.

According to the press release that was publicized last night, as they were trying to gauge the scope of the damage to the main electricity cable from the incident on 12th April 2026 using a "fault detector", they discovered that there was damage that had been previously done to another part of the cable.

Those who did the excavation work that time did not report the damage to the cable to STELCO. Instead, as per STELCO, they had wrapped tape around it and hid it. This came to light when STELCO was attempting to identify the most recent damages to the cable.

Large parts of Hulhumale' Phase 2 losing power due to damage to an electricity cable every time there is excavation work on the road is an issue. The incident on 12th April was only fully resolved at around 1:00am the next day. Many people spent a long time in the dark. Local businesses were disrupted and faced losses.

According to STELCO, the electricity cables are buried as per international standards. Those who do road excavation work would be aware of the area the cables are buried due to tape that dictates the vicinity of the cables and from the protective sheets.

"And so, we believe that if those who excavate the roads pay more attention, such incidents can be brought to a halt. We strongly appeal that any damage to an electricity cable be informed to us immediately, whether it be while conducting excavation work or otherwise," as was written in the press release.

Regarding the damage to the main electricity cable, STELCO went on to say that they have held a meeting with the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), who are in-charge of Hulhumale' Phase 2's electricity needs. STELCO also said that both sides held an extensive discussion as to how the public can be kept safe from such difficulties.

"Due to such irresponsible and negligent actions, a lot of people have to experience major difficulties, with general services being disrupted and every-day living being affected as such being a cause of sadness to this company," wrote STELCO in their statement.

As expat workers are doing the excavation work as a whole, it was highlighted that they were not paying enough attention and they were not clearly informed, among other things.

"They begin to excavate the road without any procedure. They do not pay any attention to the cables that are buried or anything else for that matter. I believe that this can only be solved with the introduction of a mechanism whereby steps are taken against those who dig the roads if they do something like this. Otherwise, this is slowly becoming a common sight," said a Vinares flat resident.

STELCO requested that those who want to do such work seek permission from relevant parties as a safety measure so that important underground components do not get damaged when conducting road excavation work. 

STELCO has appealed to companies, project workers and those who generally do excavation work on the road to be more responsible.