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Untangling the wires

Govt mulls underground power distribution lines in Dhanmondi

Helemul Alam
Good news for Dhanmondi residents.
The government is planning to change all overhead power distribution lines to underground ones to reduce risk of electrocution, a move that would beautify the area.
Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) will set up 105km underground lines under a government-to-government (G2G) project.
The project, worth around Tk 20,500 crore, will start next fiscal year, said project director Ekramul Hoque. Construction firm TBEA China has already been selected for the work, he added.
Out of the total cost, Exim Bank of China will provide Tk 12,000 crore for the project while Tk 7,000 crore will come from the government and Tk 1,200 from DPDC's own fund, Ekramul said.
Underground cables essentially consist of a conductor, an insulating system, a wire screen and a sheath. At the core is an electric conductor - in case of extra-high-voltage
(EHV) lines — which is usually made of copper.
Such cables have several advantages compared to overhead ones. They have less voltage drops and chances of developing faults and have low maintenance costs, according to DPDC officials.
Under the G2G project, twenty-six 33/11 KV grid substations and fourteen 132/33/11 KV substations will be set up while upgradation work of eight 132/33 and four 33/11 substations will be completed.
Besides, construction work of a 29-circuit-km (132 KV) underground distribution line is also going on at Tongi, Banani, Aftab Nagar and Uttara (3rd phase), scheduled to be finished by June 20.
"We will bring all overhead lines of Dhaka underground gradually," said Ekramul.
Architect Iqbal Habib, joint secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, said this initiative will help save trees in Dhanmondi.
If overhead lines are shifted underground, it will reduce risk of electrocution, which
often occurs due to the transformers. Also, environment of a residential area like Dhanmondi will improve due to the move, said the urban expert.
Habib said in 1998, Dhaka City Corporation had set up all utility lines underneath a footpath through service duct on Dhanmondi-32.
Also known as a utility tunnel or corridor, a service duct is a passage built underground to carry utility lines such as electricity, steam, water supply pipes, and sewer pipes. Communications utilities like fibre optics, cable television, and telephone cables are also sometimes carried through it.
Habib said there had been no digging work on Dhanmondi-32 since 1999, though service providers did their works thrice within the time. They just removed the footpath slab, dug up mud and did their maintenance work, he added.
If such method is implemented throughout the city, risks of fire and explosion from haphazard utility lines will reduce significantly, Habib said.