Darkness enveloped the district, particularly Vijayapura city, after a breakdown in electricity supply saw households go without power for nearly two days.
Gusty winds and heavy rains on Friday damaged numerous poles and transformers. According to officials, some 17 transformer centres (TC) were damaged, while nearly 90 electric poles topped due to rains and falling trees.
Though power supply was restored to some parts of the city on Saturday night, at least half the city continues to remain in the dark. Through Sunday, officials attempted to restore the entire supply. However, electricity supply remains erratic.
The blackout disrupted water supply in many households, while many ATMs stopped functioning after exhausting their back-up generators. “I feel like we have gone back to stone-age,” said a resident.
It wasn’t just the city that suffered. While power was restored to parts of rural areas by Saturday, at least 40 villages still remain in the dark.
Fire in transformer
Adding to the chaos was a fire in a 220 KV transformer in Basavanabagewadi town on Saturday evening.
Though personnel of fire and emergency services doused the fire quickly, it is estimated that equipment worth around Rs. 1.30 crore and 13,000 liters of oil went up in flames.
