Buildings Under High-Tension Power Lines Described as “Self-Induced Suicide” in New Public Safety Warning

 

A renewed warning has been issued over the rising number of residential and commercial structures illegally erected beneath high-tension electricity transmission lines across Nigeria, with experts and observers describing the practice as “self-induced suicide” due to its severe risks to life, health, and property.

Shelter, widely recognized as a fundamental human necessity in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, remains a major challenge for millions of Nigerians. The persistent housing deficit has driven many citizens to unsafe or prohibited spaces, including road setbacks, waterways, and most alarmingly, beneath high-voltage power lines. Despite repeated government warnings, demolition exercises, and public sensitization campaigns, construction in these danger zones has continued.

A recent visit by a concerned citizen to a state outside their residence highlighted the scale of the problem. According to the eyewitness, numerous buildings of various sizes have sprung up directly under high-tension power lines—areas where no legitimate building approval could have been granted.

During the visit, a continuous loud vibrating sound was heard, later identified as the noise emitted by the high-tension wires. Residents reportedly live with this 24-hour noise pollution despite its potential impact on hearing and general health. “It was astonishing that people could endure such a constant disturbance without concern for the long-term health implications,” the observer noted.

Serious Safety and Health Risks Identified

Research conducted following the encounter underscores the immediate physical dangers and potential long-term health risks associated with living under high-tension power lines.

Immediate Dangers

• Electrocution: High-tension lines are uninsulated, meaning electricity can arc across distances without physical contact. Items like ladders, cranes, or metal roofs can trigger lethal flashovers.
• Falling Cables: Storms or accidents can bring down live wires, potentially energizing the surrounding ground and sparking fires. Experts warn that an energized fallen line can affect areas within a 30-meter radius.
• Fire Outbreaks: Contact between vegetation and power lines, wire faults, or electrical arcing can ignite fires, especially in dense residential clusters.
• Step and Touch Potentials: In the event of a fault, voltage can spread through the soil. A person standing on ground with differing voltage points—or touching an energized object—can suffer fatal shock.

Long-Term Health Concerns

Long-term exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted by transmission lines remains a subject of scientific debate. While inconclusive, studies have suggested:

• A possible statistical association between elevated magnetic field exposure and a slightly increased risk of childhood leukemia.
• Reported but unproven links to conditions such as neurological disorders, cardiovascular irregularities, reduced fertility, miscarriages, fatigue, insomnia, and chronic headaches.

Calls for Government Intervention

Concerned observers argue that the persistent disregard for safety warnings reflects a dangerous underestimation of the risks. They insist the government must intensify enforcement, emphasizing that safeguarding lives falls squarely within its constitutional mandate.

“With the overwhelming evidence of danger, it is clear that living under high-tension power lines amounts to a self-induced suicide,” the report concludes. “The state must act decisively to remove illegal structures and prevent further loss of life.”

State governments and regulatory agencies are expected to ramp up monitoring and enforcement efforts, as urban expansion continues to push communities into hazardous zones.