PREVENTIVE measures was the key phrase yesterday as relevant officers from several departments fell a tree that was standing too close to a pair of overhead electrical cables.
The tree — some seven metres in height — carried the risk of making contact with the electrical cables during thunderstorms that would have resulted in an unexpected fire and short-circuit.
The call to the relevant authorities was made by Mawarni Ahmad, who runs a restaurant adjacent to the site.
“We noticed that the branches were growing dangerously close to the cables, and as a precaution, we decided to call someone to cut the tree down,” Mawarni told the Bulletin yesterday.
She feared a high possibility of contact being made between the branches of the tree and the electrical cables during the rainy season or during an unexpected storm.
“It’s always better to be safe then sorry,” she added.
Officers from the Public Works Department, Fire and Rescue Department, Department of Parks, Environment and Recreation, and the Electrical Department were all present yesterday to provide assistance where necessary.
The electricity supply to the area was temporarily cut for safety purposes as Fire and Rescue officers ascended using a lifting device to tie a rope around the tree that would eventually be used to pull it down at a specific angle.
Traffic was momentarily held up as the officers closed off a section of the road next to the site.
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