Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (Pesco) has suffered a damage of Rs 323 million in Hazara Circle due to the October 8 devastating earthquake. Besides, destruction of the installations the company has also lost 3 employees while 120 others were injuries in the affected areas.
In his maiden briefing to the press the newly appointed Chief Executive of the company, Brigadier Sakhi Marjan informed that four 32 kV transformers at the grid stations of Abbottabad, Battal, Balakot and Muzaffarabad and three 33KV and 10 Nos of 33 kV poles had been damaged.
Similarly, distribution system with equipment (transformers) in district Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram, Kohistan and Swat were also affected besides damages to officials' residential buildings in the affected districts. The replacement and repair of the damaged installations would cost Rs 323 million.
The company, he said soon after the tremors established a Crisis Management Cell to review the damages of the earthquake and moved all the manpower and machinery to the affected areas. "The officials of the company had really done a wonderful job by restoring the electricity of the affected areas on emergency basis," he added.
He said that 175-tonne heavy transformer of the Abbottabad Grid Station was replaced to restore power supply to Mansehra and then Balakot grid station. "There are very few villages where the system has yet to be restored," he said adding that teams had been sent to the area to prepare assessments.
"Wherever is the signs of life we would supply electricity to them either they are living under open sky on in tent," the Pesco chief pledged saying that the street lights of the Balakot had been electrified to boost rescue as well as relief operation.
He said that the power transmission lines in Battal, Thakot, Hattian, Muzaffarabad and Balakot had been razed and required reinstallation.
On emergency basis, he said the company is providing electricity from panels to help assist relief and rescue activities. He said that due to earthquake the distribution system had also been damaged and some areas there were signs of life as infrastructure had been completely wiped out.
Commending the Pesco officials for carrying out their operation in chilly snowfall, he said they had extended all possible co-operation to the government of Azad Jammu & Kashmir and had given a team comprising of Executive Engineer, two SDOs and four gangs to restore their supply.
In reply to a query, Sakhi Marjan said that the temporary system could work for indefinite period, saying that it required the establishment of control house for which designing was in progress. He said that the process could take two or three months while the construction of control houses could take six months in the areas of snowfall.