175,000 without electricity in Sunamganj and Sylhet
The flood situation is steadily deteriorating in Sylhet. With power substations and electric poles inundated, power supply has been cut. Around 175,000 power subscribers in Sylhet and Sunamganj are now without electricity. This was confirmed to Prothom Alo Friday afternoon by concerned persons of the power division.
Meanwhile, with the water level on a steady rise, there are apprehensions that the 132/33 KV grid substation in Kumargaon of Sylhet city will also be shut down. In that advent, the entire Sylhet district will be without electricity.
Power Development Board (PDB) sources have said that with the electricity meters of homes going under water, power supply has already been shut down in the suburbs of the city. Water has arisen in the South Surma power substation and so the entire South Surma upazila has been without electricity since Thursday.
The sources said, PDB has around 450,000 electricity subscribers in the four districts of Sylhet. Already 100,000 in Sylhet and 90,000 in Sunamganj are without electricity.
General managers of Sylhet Palli Bidyut Samity 1 and 2, Dilip Chandra Chowdhury and Sanjib Kumar Roy, said that almost 2,500 persons of the 413,000 subscribers under the samity's Sylhet-1 area and at least 90,000 persons of the 212,000 subscribers of Sylhet 2, are without electricity.
Executive engineer of PDB's sales and distribution division-2, Shams-e-Arefin, told Prothom Alo, electricity has to be shut down in many areas due to the deterioration of the flood situation.
Concerned persons of PDB have said, water has also entered the 132/33 KV grid substation in Kumargaon of Sylhet city. The flood waters have almost reached the control room. If the water level increases and enters the control room, then power supply to the entire Sylhet district may have to be shut down.
The PDB chief engineer in Sylhet, Mohammed Abdul Kadir, speaking to Prothom Alo at 12:45 Friday afternoon, said rains are continuing. If this continues for another two or three hours, then there is fear that water may enter the control room. This will shut down electricity in the entire Sylhet district.