SRINAGAR: The Rawal Pora grid station in Srinagar, which is feeding thousands of power consumers awaits disaster due to continued water logging.
Due to continued waterlogging in the area, a massive short-circuit is feared in the underground cables, which may blow up the transmission hub and plunge thousands of houses into darkness for weeks together, while there’s also a threat to lives of the staffers working at the power unit round-the-clock.
For the past over a month, waterlogging continues to swell in the Rawal Pora- Hyderpora stretch because of lack of any proper drainage system, while blockade of a centuries-old irrigation canal allegedly by a “political family”, whose close relative is a Mantri in state government, has compounded the trouble.
The 100 Mega Watt Rawal Pora grid, a key station in Srinagar, has started getting inundated as water levels in the vicinity continue to rise amid frequent downpour, Kashmir has been witnessing at the onset of spring.
Official sources in the Power Development Department (PDD) said: “Both, the control cables and the power cables lying underground are in water and there’s every possibility of a massive short-circuit, anytime.”
A technician, who recently inspected the cables, told on condition of anonymity, that almost all the underground cables are in water.
Till now, luck seems to have favored the grid. Though the cables bear insulation, it isn’t waterproof.
“The plastic covering is designed for dry conditions, but not water. These are simply not any marine cables,” said a retired PDD official who was associated with the grid for long.
A senior PDD official said the matter has come to their notice. “But nothing expect immediate dewatering can prevent it (disaster),” said the PDD official in the Chief Engineer’s office adding that there was a need for a proper drainage network in the area.
“The cables are as deep as five feet. So nothing but a stable drainage system can keep the grid secure,” he added.
