Power supply restored in most of the areas

Two days after 41.8-mm rainfall wreaked havoc on southern parts of the city, the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) managed to restore power supply in 80% of the flood-affected localities by Sunday afternoon.

Rajendra Cholan, Managing Director, Bescom, told Deccan Herald that 70-80% of power problems in southern Bengaluru were addressed by 1 pm and work was under way to restore the supply in the remaining localities. Damaged transformers — one (500 kV) and 12 (250 kV) — were also repaired, he added.

Flooding had cut off power supply in Serenity Layout, Bellandur, Jahnavi apartments in Akshay Nagar, two apartments in Duo Enclave, Kumbha Lake Shore apartment, Kodichikkanahalli, BTM 2nd Stage and CPWD quarters. Bescom received over 15,413 calls and registered 7,800 complaints.

Power supply is yet to be restored in Jahnavi Paradise apartments in Vikas Nagar as the basement was fully flooded and all control panels were damaged. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) requested the residents to evacuate, and put up a board stating the building was in danger.

In Kodichikkanahalli, barring Sidhartha apartments, power was restored in all other places. Power supply in BTM Layout 2nd Stage and CPWD quarters would be restored by Monday morning once fire and emergency services personnel fully drained out the water, Bescom officials said.

Meanwhile, the utility is preparing a detailed project report on how to strengthen the existing infrastructure and ensure there are no power cuts during flash floods in the future.

Cholan said a detailed plan report on how to improve the infrastructure by using satellite images was under preparation. “The top priority is to have a detailed list of high-density, waterlogged and overloaded areas where power cuts are frequent and which need immediate attention,” he said. “This will help resolve 30% of the problems immediately. In three to four months, once the report is ready, we will decide on how the cables can be changed and improved so that there are no power cuts.”

As an immediate measure to address the monsoon after effects, Bescom will increase the number of emergency vehicles from 145 at present. The number of gangmen, presently 10,000, will also be increased. Instead of relying on the BBMP, senior executive engineers will be empowered to take decisions.

“Most of the 4,500 Ring Main Units (RMUs), which supply power to major apartments in the city, are old and need maintenance. We have recalled the companies which laid them and asked them to maintain them for three more years. A majority of the underground cables are also old and we will get them replaced or repaired in 15 days as they also cause power failures,” Cholan added.
DH News Service