Despite measures taken by utilities under the Power Division, some 1.72 crore consumers still remain without electricity after cyclone Remal hit the country on Sunday.
According to a Power Division press release, a total of 3.03 crore consumers were affected by the storm of which electricity supply was restored to 1.31 crore consumers, while 1.72 crore remained without power.
It said that efforts are on to restore power supply to 80 per cent of the customers by the morning of Wednesday (May 29) through commissioning all 33 kV and 11 kV lines while 60 per cent of them will get power by Tuesday night.
The remaining 20 per cent affected consumers will have to wait as their services were stopped and immediate measures will be taken to go door to door to repair their meters.
The Power Division said that as part of post-cyclone initiatives for remediation of damages by the Remal, Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) rapidly took measures in its areas under 80 Pally Biddyut Samities (PBSs) while West Zone Power Distribution Company (WZPDC) in its own operational areas through on-site monitoring.
Giving a description of the damages, the Power Division said that a total of 766 of 33 kV feeders were damaged of which 455 were recovered and the remaining 311 were unrecovered while 1105 substations of 33/11 kV were damaged of which 654 were recovered and the remaining 451 unrecovered.
A total of 6,235 of 11 kV feeders were destroyed of which 2,384 were recovered and the remaining 3,851 were not, a total of 3,833 electric poles collapsed while 2,567 were repaired and the remaining 1,266 were not, while 2,818 distribution transformer were damaged of which 1,696 were restored and remaining 1,122 were not.
According to preliminary information, the cyclone Remal caused damages to electricity infrastructures worth Tk 103.33 crore.
More than 30,000 manpower are working in the field, including the BREB's contractors.
The total consumers of the WZPDC is 15.48 lakh of which electricity supply to 14.03 lakh consumers was restored while 1.44 remained unrestored. The WZPDC’s infrastructures worth Tk 5.07 crore were damaged.
