THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Now, households may have to wait longer to get their power connection restored if a tree falls on it due to heavy rain and wind. KSEB is finding it tough to find enough workers to remove trees that snap electricity wires and cause power outage. On November 8, strong winds and rain uprooted many trees, causing electricity outage even in rural areas. Though the power was restored eventually, it took longer than usual.
KSEB blames land owners who are reluctant to cut down trees. “The lines that pass through rubber plantations are more likely to be affected during rain,” said an officer. He said the restoration process would take longer as lumberjacks are not readily available.
If the trees are small, KSEB staff do the job themselves with the help of local residents. But removing larger trees requires the support of the Fire and Rescue Services or Public Works Department. This coordination takes time, especially due to the ongoing pandemic, says an official. The electrical section attends to complaints pertaining to power failures. Each section has around 25 employees, including six unskilled labourers, 12 linemen, six overseers, three sub-engineers and one assistant engineer. They work in two to three shifts a day.
KSEB has started laying underground cables as a permanent solution to escape the tree-fall situation. However, the high cost of the project has forced the board to go for a phased implementation starting with major cities. “We have been gradually implementing it in the high ranges where chances of power disruption are high,” said an officer. KSEB also uses the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) unit in Thiruvananthapuram for expedited detection of power disruptions. Similar units will soon be launched in Kochi and Kozhikode.