By Shamima Rita
Over 27 million consumers in the coastal region of the country have been without electricity for hours due to the impact of Cyclone Remal.
Out of this, 26,626,550 consumers are covered by 80 units of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB).
Besides, 4,53,081 consumers of the West Zone Power Distribution Company are without electricity.
The information was provided by the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources on Monday evening.
According to preliminary information about the damage to the power distribution system due to the storm, some 26,947,700 consumers under the BREB were without power. Later, the lines of 3,21,150 subscribers were fixed.
According to the ministry, due to the impact of the cyclone, reports of storms and rains have been received in the areas under the BREB. Out of the 80 units, consumers under 65 experienced partial or complete disconnection.
The storms have damaged a total of 2,717 electric poles, 2,353 transformers, 22,844 insulators, 53,425 metres, and snapped wires at 71,729 places.
The ministry said that as the impact of the cyclone was ongoing, the actual picture of the damage could not be ascertained by on-site inspection.
The BREB and the West Zone Power Distribution Company are ready with the necessary equipment to restore power supply to the concerned areas as per the instructions of the ministry.
The ministry said that the electricity connection will be normalized as soon as the storm or wind subsides.
On the other hand, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) said that it had reduced power generation by half due to Cyclone Remal.
Meanwhile, apart from the coast, the level of loadshedding has increased in the capital and surrounding districts.
BPDB officials claim that several power plants have been shut down in coastal areas as a precautionary measure.
However, even though power generation is active in the districts, including Dhaka, the distribution lines have been shut to avoid accidents.
According to BPDB data, the generation was around 5,000MW on Monday. However, on Sunday, the efficiency was more than 12,000MW.
Residents of Satkhira, Bagerhat, and other areas in Khulna division have been without electricity since Sunday due to Cyclone Remal. The local rural electricity authority has not confirmed when power will be restored.
Asaduzzaman, a resident of Satkhira municipality and a journalist, said: “We have been without electricity since yesterday (Sunday) due to Cyclone Remal. It briefly returned on Monday afternoon but has been off for the last four hours. We’ve had 141mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, and strong winds are still blowing. Many trees have fallen. While the impact of the storm has lessened this afternoon, the local rural power station authority said power would be restored by Monday afternoon, but there’s still no electricity.”
In the capital’s Mohammadpur’s Nurjahan Road area, load-shedding has been a problem since dawn. Noomi Saha, a resident, said: “Load shedding was very high on Monday. We also have gas issues, blocking cooking and water supplies.”
Residents of Lalbagh in Old Dhaka have also complained about load shedding. They mentioned that there is always a loadshedding problem when there’s a cyclone or heavy rain.
In Narayanganj, areas including Sadar and Fatulla have experienced 4-5-hour outages.
Simedon, a resident of Deobogh Data Road, said: “We had load shedding for 15-20 minutes until noon, but after the power went off around 1pm, it has not returned, and it’s now 6pm.”
BPDB Director (Public Relations) Shamim Hasan told Dhaka Tribune: “During the cyclone, many electric poles were damaged across the country, particularly in Khulna and Barisal. Load shedding has been increased nationwide, including in coastal areas, to avoid accidents. The power supply will be normal by tomorrow (Tuesday).”
Source : Dhaka Tribune
