Thunderstorms in Delhi uproot trees, disrupt power supply

Power supplies in some areas of the national capital were disrupted with downpours Saturday morning that uprooted trees and snapped branches, damaging power lines and poles, authorities said.

The electricity supply in areas like Fatehpur Beri, Sainik Farms, Chattarpur, Mundka, Najafgarh, Dwarka, Mahipalpur, Suraj Mal Vihar, Baljeet Nagar and Dilshad Garden was disrupted at various periods due to rains, they said.

Morning showers caused a few instances of power outages in affected areas of the city. These outages were mainly due to damage to overhead power lines, poles and transformers caused by uprooting trees and breaking their branches, officials said.

The combination of wet and swaying tree branches near overhead wires is also a safety hazard and can cause short circuits, sparks and power outages, a discom official said.

A BSES spokesman said that the BROL and BYPL discoms were on high alert to deal with the situation and pressured quick response teams (QRTs) to come on duty.

Power was quickly restored in most areas. It took a little longer than usual to restore power in some areas, since felling and removing trees is a time-consuming process, he added.

Gusty winds, thunderstorms and heavy rain hit the city in the early hours of Saturday and power supply was affected in several parts of north Delhi, a spokesman for Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) said.

The storm caused damage to the power grid, leading to power outages due to falling trees and branches on overhead power lines and poles, it said.

The outage took some time to restore normal power supply in places including Swatantra Nagar, Gautam Colony, Kohat Enclave and the Mangolpuri industrial area, where large trees had fallen on electrical equipment, TPDDL spokesmen said.

However, power was soon restored to all areas affected by the storm and rain, he said.

Dedicated teams and vehicles have been strategically deployed at various locations to deal with any emergencies, the spokesperson said.

In addition, an adequate inventory of essential spare parts, tools and equipment, including transformers and distribution equipment, has been secured to minimize restoration time in the event of power outages, it added.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed: ITP)