Power supply restored throughout country

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M Azizur Rahman
Power supply have been restored throughout the country including the recent Sidr-affected areas after large-scale repair works were carried out by the state-owned power entities, said sources.
"Electricity generation across the country reached around 3,500 megawatt (MW) Sunday, the pre-cyclone level of generation," a senior Power Division official told the FE.
"Electricity supply to all the cyclone-affected districts in the country's southwestern part returned to normal," Power Division secretary M Fouzul Kabir Khan told the FE Sunday.
He, however, admitted that normal electricity supply could not be restored only in four Upazillas in the cyclone-affected areas as a major damage has occurred there.
The Upazillas where the electricity supply is yet to get back to normalcy are - Mothbaria, Bamna, Pathharghhata and Morelganj.
The power division has, however, arranged alternative supply through mobile electricity generators in these four Upazillas, the power division secretary said.
Electricity supply to Mothbaria and Bamna will return to normal by today (Monday), he assured.
For Pathhorghhata it will take five more days and for Morelganj two or three more weeks, Fouzul Kabir Khan said.
Sources said following the onslaught of the devastating cyclone, energy and power adviser Tapan Chowdhury had assured that by November 30 the entire country including the cyclone-hit areas will get back normal electricity supply.
The November 15's powerful cyclone 'Sidr' collapsed Bangladesh's entire power system resulting in the failure of the country's national power grid.
Almost all of Bangladesh went without electricity as most of the power plants had tripped causing a complete blackout in the aftermath of 'Sidr'.
The electric distribution lines, poles and transformers were damaged in the gusty winds and trees uprooted by the winds fell on the live lines during the cyclone especially in the southern districts.
The electricity distribution system in 30 Palli Bidyut Samities (PBSs), out of the country's total 70 PBSs were damaged severely.
Some 56 electric sub-stations and 25 electricity towers were also affected in the REB areas across the country, he said.
He said some 1,722 electric poles broke down and 7,679 more were damaged during the hurricane.
A total of 365 teams were deployed across the country to repair the damages, he said
A control room was also set up to monitor the progress of the repair works regularly, the REB chairman said.
The power division under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR) had termed it as the worst disaster the power sector has ever faced.