Why is there a power cut every time it rains in India?

Read this in Hindi: Power cut in Rain: Recently, due to rain accompanied by thunderstorms in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, the city's power went out for 20 hours. Even the CM House was shrouded in darkness. People without electricity were in bad condition, and most of all people got upset when their smartphones stopped working.

In Sehore town near Bhopal, people surrounded the powerhouse to complain. A police force had to be deployed here.

Meanwhile, many such pictures also came on social media in which the employees of the Electricity Department were seen fixing electric wires in the midst of rain. The power lines in Bhopal were badly damaged due to the storm, the electricity department had to call teams from nearby cities to rectify it.

When the entire city was cursing the electricity department for lack of electricity, the Ground Report team found out why the power cuts during rain and thunderstorms, and how the electricity department rectifies it.

How does electricity reach our home?

Electricity is mainly generated through coal power plants, hydroelectric energy, solar energy, wind turbines, and nuclear reactors. From here the electricity is sent to the transformers, which increases its voltage. So that it can travel long distances through transmission lines. A current of 33,000 volts runs in these transmission lines.

The 33 KV lines reach the sub-station, where the transformers convert it to 11,000 volts. This 11 kV current then reaches the small transformer installed in your area, where the current is reduced to 440 volts. Then this 440-volt current reaches your home through wires. Then it divides into two phases. The current we use in our homes to run our appliances is 220 volts.

In India, power outages during rainy seasons are common due to the fact that the electricity supply is mainly via overhead wires on poles. Reasons for power outages can vary, some are intentional as a precaution while others occur due to unforeseen circumstances.

So this is the story of electricity reaching our house. But the main question that we have is-

Why does power cut during storms and Rains?

There is a question in the mind of every person after all, why does the electricity get cut as soon as the rain comes? Actually, due to the storm, transmission lines break or tree branches fall on them. As soon as there is an obstruction in the transmission of current in the lines, high voltage current is generated which fuses the jumpers and insulators on the poles. Similarly, when it rains for a long time, insulation elements such as bushings and switches get damaged, resulting in power cuts.

The sub-stations of the electricity department have area-wise feeders which monitor the current supply 24 hours a day. When a transmission line is damaged, the feeder shows how many Amperes of current have passed. If the current exceeds 40 A, the feeder automatically stops the power supply. This turns off the light in your area.

How do Electricity Departments fix damaged power lines?

In case of a power cut, the sub-station informs the power department which sends the line man's team to check the transmission line. If the transmission line is damaged, the lineman rectifies it and informs the sub-station to charge the line. As soon as the line is charged from the substation, electricity is returned to your homes.

The job of a lineman is very risky. Sometimes these people also become victims of accidents like electrocution. Sometimes transmission lines get damaged from places where the line man's team has to put in a lot of effort.

Gradually the transmission lines are being made underground. But it is very difficult to find faults in underground lines as compared to open-air transmission lines. It also costs more time and money. However, the chances of damage in this are less as compared to open-air lines.

No complete solution for a power cut has been found yet because we cannot win with nature, so if there is a power outage in a storm and rain, be patient because the work of delivering electricity to your home is very complicated.

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