Cyclones hit the eastern and western coast of India very frequently. The Indian government is planning to establish cyclone-resilient power distribution and transmission infrastructure.
Sources told the media that the cyclone resilient infrastructure will ensure supply of electricity in coastal regions during extreme weather events. As a part of the plan, the country plans to develop a cyclone resilient infrastructure in the coastal areas up to 20 km from the coastline, and then gradually up to 60 km. An uninterrupted power supply is a key to running emergency services like hospitals, test laboratories, and medical oxygen plants.
The development presumes that the power supply and communication poles were deracinated during the cyclones: Tauktae and Yaas. Cyclones Tauktae and Yaas have caused immense loss of life and property in Indian states.
A few measures have been taken by the state-run electricity distribution companies, such as the use of insulated aerial bunched cables for 11kV and low tension power links, setting up flood protection walls, and the use of epoxy-based paints for painting steel structures to protect from corrosion.
Floods are a cause of concern, the plan involves the conversion of air-insulated substation into the gas-insulated substation, placing fibre-optic links in the transmission system, use of rail poles and double pole structure, and mounting distribution transformers on the plinth.
A meeting was held by the Ministry of Power on the issue, which was attended by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), cyclone-affected states, and state-run power supply companies.
Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal are regular, and they are turning up the temperature in the Arabian Sea, which experts credit to climatic change.
States like Odisha have minimised the damage to the Low Tension (LT) network by undertaking preventive measures, tree pruning, and other cautiousness.
Also read: Cyclone Yaas impact: Oil and gas industry creates action plan
Also read: Cyclone Yaas: Airports on the east coast place precautions
