E-Paper
Thunderstorm leaves 380 electricity poles, 140 transformers damaged in Ludhiana
Gusty winds with the speed of 70-80 kilometres per hour created havoc in different parts of the city, uprooting and damaging over 20 fully grown trees
As many as 380 electricity poles were uprooted and 140 transformers damaged after thunderstorm coupled with heavy rainfall battered the city during the early hours of Thursday.
Gusty winds with the speed of 70-80 kilometres per hour created havoc in different parts of the city, uprooting and damaging over 20 fully grown trees.
The severe weather conditions caused significant damage to the city, with trees and electricity poles being uprooted and power outages affecting various areas.
The central zone of the district experienced a blackout lasting for approximately four hours.
Officials from the Punjab State Corporation Limited (PSPCL) revealed that the department received approximately 3,500 complaints in the aftermath of the thunderstorm.
According to data shared by the PSPCL, the bad weather conditions uprooted over 380 concrete electricity poles and damaged 140 transformers in various parts of the city.
SR Vashisht, chief engineer of the central zone, said, “Thunderstorm struck the city at around 1.15 am on Thursday. In order to prevent accidents, I instructed the shutdown of power throughout the entire zone. Once the weather conditions normalised after four hours, we began restoring power to different areas after assessing the situation.”
“The intensity of the storm was beyond our expectations, leading to widespread disruption in the power infrastructure. Our dedicated team is working diligently to bring back normalcy and ensure uninterrupted power supply to the affected areas as soon as possible,” he said.
Advertisement flexes and iron sheets above the boards damaged the electricity wires at different areas in the city, leading to breakdown in the power supply till Thursday afternoon.
Divulging details about the damage in west circle, deputy chief engineer west Anil Sharma said, “In the areas where poles were damaged like in Sahnewal where around 60 poles got uprooted, power supply is yet to become normal. Our team is trying to repair the damaged poles as soon as possible”.
Doraha also witnessed the collapse of two power poles due to strong gusty winds. Numerous transformers belonging to the PSPCL sustained significant damage. Felling of trees disrupted the power supply lines, leading to further destruction of electricity poles.
As a consequence of the devastation, power supply remained suspended in various parts of the district, causing inconvenience to residents till Thursday evening at various areas in the central zone, including colonies near Ferozepur Road, Jagjit Nagar, Tajpur road, Doraha, Sahnewal, Dhandari Kalan and many other areas.
Daljit Singh, executive engineer of Aggar Nagar, told HT, “Several poles were uprooted in the areas of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, Gurdev Nagar, Aggar Nagar, and Barewal road. While the majority of the complaints have been addressed, there are still some that are being processed.”
According to a PSPCL statement, a significant number of electricity towers sustained damage in Lalton area. As of Thursday late evening, power supply was not restored in that area.
The heavy winds also uprooted over 20 fully grown trees in different parts of the city due to thunderstorms. Residents of different areas including Basant Park, Ghumar Mandi, Kidwai Nagar, Ishmeet Nagar, Karyana Market, Focal Point and Jawahar Nagar woke up to scenes of trees lying flat on the roadsides. The fallen trees were cut into pieces and lifted by the municipal corporation teams.
While a number of areas in the city were affected, no harm to any human or public property was reported.
Balwinder Singh, a resident of Ghumar Mandi, said that around 3 am, he was woken up by something strong hitting the ground. He said that when he came out of his home at around 5 am, he saw that a part of the 30 feet long tree had fallen on the ground.
MC Horticulture department official Kirpal Singh said that the trees which were creating a blockage for the commuters were removed on priority in the early hours of the day. He said that along with roads, the children’s park in the Kidwai nagar area was also badly affected by the thunderstorms.
A street light pole on the Shingar Cinema road had fallen in the middle of the road due to thunderstorm.
Temperature drops seven notches
The thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rainfall measuring 7.8 mm brought relief from the scorching heat for the residents as the temperature fell by seven notches to settle at 34 degrees.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) observatory in Chandigarh, the weather is expected to remain partly cloudy in Ludhiana and its adjoining areas, with the possibility of gusty winds and thundershowers over the next 24 hours. On Wednesday, the maximum temperature was recorded 41 degrees Celsius and the minimum was 25 degrees Celsius.
On Thursday, the maximum temperature dropped to 34 degrees Celsius, and the minimum was 20 degrees Celsius.
According to IMD official Manmohan, “The forecast predicts light to moderate rain at a few places on May 18, with dry weather expected on May 19, 20, and 21. Isolated places may experience light to moderate rain on May 22 in the state. There won’t be significant changes in maximum temperatures over the next 48 hours, but a rise of 2-4°C is expected thereafter.”
PK Kingra, head of the climate change and agricultural meteorological department, said, “The intense gusty winds, thunderstorms, lightning, and rain were influenced by western disturbances since yesterday. However, this phenomenon is expected to weaken by May 18, and the weather will continue to remain dry in the district.”
