Many areas in Dhaka and Narayanganj cities plunged into darkness following a huge disruption in power supply that authorities blamed on the approaching Cyclone Sitrang.
According to officials of the Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) and Desco, the two entities which control the distribution network in Dhaka and Narayanganj, following a fault in Sympur, Ulan and Maniknagar grid line, many areas experienced blackouts for hours.
“Due to the grid-disruption, power supply went off in Dhanmondi, Sher-e-Banglanagar, Kakrail, and Kajla in Dhaka city and also some areas in Narayanganj city," Bikash Dewan, managing director of DPDC, told UNB.
He said many areas also experienced blackouts due to the collapse of trees on the power distribution lines due to cyclone Sitrang.
Some 32 teams of DPDC have been working to restore supply in the disrupted areas, he added.
He also said that power supply came down to 700 MW from 1,400 MW following the disruption in some grid lines in DPDC areas.
As a result, consumers have been experiencing loadshedding despite relatively cool weather, he said.
Desco managing director Kausar Ameer Ali noted that power supply was disrupted in Uttara, Gulshan and Mirpur areas.
“Mainly falling of trees and flying construction materials and other objects over the distribution lines led to the disruption in Desco areas,” he noted.
A good number of Desco teams are working to fix the problems and restore power supply, he added, saying consumers in his area have been experiencing loadshedding since evening due to lower supply against the demand.