In Matlab South Upazila of Chandpur, around 130 villages under the Rural Electrification Board have experienced a continuous power outage lasting nearly 18 hours. The disruption began at approximately 6:00 pm on Sunday and continued until 12:00 pm on Monday. As a result, nearly 74,000 residents, including Secondary School Certificate (SSC) candidates, were affected by the prolonged electricity interruption.
According to officials of the Rural Electrification Association, the outage occurred due to damage caused by a Kalboishakhi storm. During the storm, bamboo structures and trees fell onto the 33 kV electricity transmission lines in several areas of the upazila. This led to the breaking of multiple electricity poles and snapping of wires, resulting in a complete suspension of power supply from Sunday evening.
Repair and restoration work has been underway since the incident. Field teams have been deployed to repair the damaged infrastructure and restore electricity supply as quickly as possible. However, full restoration has been delayed due to the extent of the damage across multiple locations.
The Deputy General Manager (DGM) of the Matlab South Rural Electricity Association, Engineer Md. Jasim Uddin, stated that the electricity supply was disrupted due to storm-related damage to the transmission lines. He also noted that efforts are ongoing to repair the affected sections and resume normal service without delay.
The prolonged outage has caused significant difficulties for residents across the affected villages. Students preparing for examinations, including SSC candidates, have been particularly impacted. Two SSC examinees from the upazila headquarters expressed concern that they were unable to study during the night due to the absence of electricity. They also reported suffering from intense heat conditions.
Residents from Kaladi area, including Jahangir Alam, reported that the lack of electricity led to unbearable heat as fans and cooling systems remained non-functional. In addition, the inability to operate water pumps resulted in a shortage of safe drinking water in several households. He also claimed that repeated attempts to contact the Rural Electricity office did not receive any response.
Summary of the Situation
| Category |
Details |
| Location |
Matlab South Upazila, Chandpur |
| Number of affected villages |
Approximately 130 |
| Duration of outage |
Around 18 hours |
| Time period |
Sunday 6:00 pm to Monday 12:00 pm |
| Estimated population affected |
Around 74,000 people |
| Cause |
Kalboishakhi storm damaging 33 kV lines |
| Technical damage |
Fallen trees, bamboo, broken poles, snapped wires |
| Status |
Repair work ongoing |
The Rural Electricity authorities continue restoration efforts to normalise electricity supply across all affected villages.
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