Vast city areas sans power as storm hits grid substation

A vast area in the city's north-eastern part remained without electricity since 4.0 am Wednesday following substantial damage to the 13233 kV Bashundhara grid substation, reports UNB. A peal of lightning during the storm in the early morning caused the widespread disruption that finally led to a fire incident in the equipment and cables at the substation, said a top official of Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO) which controls the substation. The residents of the Bashundhara residential area and also some parts of the adjacent areas have been the victims of the incident. The other areas where power supply goes from the Bashundhara substation, including Gulshan, Baridhara, Uttara, Banani, Badda and Mirpur are experiencing severe power outages following the disruption. DESCO Managing Director Monzur Rahman said it will take about two days to restore electricity in the area through alternative arrangement of power transmission. "We're working hard round the clock since the incident took place through establishing alternative networks to supply electricity there. We may be able to restore 70 per cent of our system in next two days. But full restoration will take even more than 15 days," he told the news agency.