Power failure leaves Sg Asap churches in darkness on Christmas Eve

Hands holding a lighted candle. - DayakDaily.com file pic. // Photo: Pixabay

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, Dec 25:  The Christmas Eve celebrations in Sungai Asap (Sg Asap) were marred by electricity outage, leading to widespread disappointment among the Christian community.

Such incident, according to Belaga community leader Penance Umek Jeno, was not an isolated case, but a repeated occurrence.  

“Tonight (Dec 24, 2025) is the most sad and disappointing night for all churches in BRS (Belaga Resettlement Scheme) Sg Asap. We cannot celebrate our Christmas Eve due to darkness caused by blackout.

“The same problem also happened last year. Blackout also frequently happened before Christmas Eve.  

“Although the issue has been brought up to the SEB (Sarawak Energy), it seems nothing concrete (has been done) to rectify the problem. We are really upset about this unsolved issue,” said Umek in a statement at the wee hours of this morning.

Umek, quoting sources, said the outage may have occurred because the circuit breaker was rated at 100 amps, while electricity demand during the festive season rose to 190 amps, overloading the system and causing the circuit breaker to trip, resulting in a power outage.

“I suggest that the CB (circuit breaker)  be set at 200 amps for BRS Sg Asap to avoid overloading.  Another thing, Sarawak Energy should station a senior officer at Sg Asap,” said Umek. — DayakDaily