Only 500 out of 450,000 have access to electricity in Feni amid devastating floods

Currently, all of the 17 power substations in the district are down

All power substations in Feni have been shut down as the district grapples with catastrophic floods, leaving only 500 out of 442,046 residents with access to electricity.

The report was published in a special bulletin issued by the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board around 6:45pm on Friday.

All of the 17 power substations in the district are non-operational due to the floods. At least 106 of the 107 11kV feeders were shut down as the floodwaters submerged Feni.

As mobile networks are down, the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board, or BREB, was unable to assess the extent of damage to the power infrastructure caused by the flooding.

However, it is estimated that in other districts, damage to poles, transformers, spans, insulators, and meters has resulted in losses amounting to approximately Tk 79.59 million.

Heavy floods, triggered by mountain runoff from India and continuous rainfall, have severely flooded Feni, Laxmipur, Noakhali, Cumilla, Chandpur, Brahmanbaria, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Khagrachhari, Sylhet, and Moulvibazar.

According to the disaster management ministry, at least 15 people have died in these districts in the past two days.

In these nine districts, 21 out of 174 substations under 11 BREB units have been shut down.

Additionally, 208 out of 908 of the 11 kV feeders located in these areas have been switched off.

As a result, 1.1 million out of 5.2 million rural electrification customers in the 11 flood-affected districts are currently without power.