Following the news from DN about the death by electrocution of three dogs in Lisbon and Odivelas — and after this newspaper published the report by Sapadores Firefighters where it is said that after “measurement of the site it was detected that the earth was showing values of 117 volts, which led to the conclusion that there was an electric current on the ground, possibly through a cable in poor condition underground”, next to the lighting post in Parque das Nações that killed a dog, Lisbon City Council sent new explanations about the status of the lighting network and the maintenance procedures followed in the city.
In response to DN, the municipality confirms that, after the incident, an immediate intervention was carried out in the area. “Following the incident, an inspection was carried out on the remaining elements of the lighting network of the same type existing in the area, with no anomalies being detected in any of them that would compromise public safety.”
The DN then asked a set of specific questions about network maintenance, to which the Chamber responded in detail.
Regarding what the maintenance of the public lighting network consists of, the municipality explains that “the city’s public lighting system is made up of the infrastructure (public lighting network) managed by the concessionaire E-Redes, and the supports and luminaires (and respective electrical installation from the energy delivery point in the branch box) under the responsibility of the Municipality, in a total of 75,000 units installed throughout the city.”
It adds that “municipal services carry out corrective maintenance actions, namely replacing lamps, luminaires, accessories and electrical installations; and also regular inspection actions on equipment that make it possible to assess the state of conservation of this equipment and, if necessary, preventively repair or replace supports and luminaires.”
When asked about the frequency of maintenance, the Chamber states that “The average useful life of lamps is approximately 25 to 30 years (before they need deep conservation or even replacement), often being larger due to the quality of the columns’ construction.” Still, he guarantees that there is a defined routine: “Every three years, we try to carry out a complete check of all lamps. Likewise, whenever singular events occur — such as bad weather, vehicle impacts, signs of corrosion of materials or other situations that cause reservations (particularly in the face of information or requests from citizens) — additional inspections are carried out.”
Finally, regarding compliance with good practice manuals, the municipality states that they determine permanent and systematic actions: “What good practices dictate is that public lighting infrastructures — in this case, supports and luminaires — must be subject to regular inspection and conservation actions.; which allow, when necessary, the carrying out of lighter or more in-depth repairs (depending on needs), or even the replacement of the equipment in question.”