Power outage hits Moulvibazar upazila as substation submerged in floodwaters

Power supply to Juri upazila of Moulvibazar remains suspended since yesterday morning after floodwaters entered the local substation of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), following continuous rainfall and upstream flooding from India.

Officials said the water level of the Juri River has risen, deteriorating the flood situation.

According to the Water Development Board, the river was flowing 186cm above the danger level as of 12:00pm today.

Kabir Ahmed, resident engineer at the Juri power supply centre, said, "Water entered the substation premises early yesterday. As the water level continued to rise, we were forced to shut down operations to prevent further damage."

The substation, located beside the Juri-Botuli Customs Station Road in the Ranimora area, remains inundated.

Two 33/11kV transformers, which supply electricity to six unions in the upazila, are currently submerged. Around 20,000 subscribers have been affected by the outage, he added.

Several areas -- including parts of Fultala Road, Mokambari Road, College Road along the Juri-Goalbari route, and Nayabazar -- are underwater, with many homes flooded.

Locals said some residents have moved to shelters after becoming waterlogged.

"The substation was built in 2022, but the site was not adequately elevated," said one resident.

"We faced the same situation during the 2022 floods, and nothing has changed."

BPDB officials acknowledged concerns over the substation's location and elevation, noting that it remains vulnerable to seasonal flooding.

Md Sahadat Hossain, executive engineer of the sales and distribution department at Kulaura PDB, said: "I inspected the site yesterday. About six inches of the power transformer was under water. Operating it could lead to a serious accident, so we are not resuming operations yet."

"We are currently supplying emergency power to Juri upazila town from Kulaura. Power supply from the substation cannot be restored until the water recedes," he added.