Strong currents eroded coastal land in Sandwip, exposing submarine power cables supplying the island and triggering fears of damage, prolonged outages and disruption to electricity services.
Two submarine power cables supplying electricity to Bangladesh‘s island upazila of Sandwip have recently become exposed after strong currents in the Sandwip Channel eroded the upper layer of soil in a coastal area of Bauria union in Chattogram, raising fears that the cables could be damaged.
Electricity has been supplied to the island from the national grid through the submarine cables since 2018. Power Development Board officials said the two cables have a combined transmission capacity of 50 megawatts. However, power is currently being supplied initially through one cable at a level of 10 megawatts. The two cables have an estimated lifespan of 50 years.
The erosion-hit site is about 1.5 kilometers from the landing station in Ward No. 5 of Bauria union in Sandwip. During low tide, around 40 feet of the two cables can be seen above the surface.
Local fishers and cattle herders first spotted the two submarine cables lying exposed several days ago. The matter drew wider attention on Saturday when a local man uploaded a video on Facebook showing the exposed cables and it quickly spread on social media.
A visit to the area on Sunday found that the two cables are about 18 inches in diameter. They appear to emerge from about 15 feet below the ground before extending into the sea.
Resident MD. Jamal Uddin said about half a kilometer of flat land had come under erosion. He said the submarine cables became exposed after soil was washed away by the erosion.
Jamal Uddin said he had watched the installation work every day when the cables were laid underground in 2017. He said the lines had originally been placed deep beneath the soil and that both cables are now visible. During low tide, more of the cables can be seen and local boys have been standing on them, dancing and making videos, he added.
Omar Faisal, one of the coordinators of the local social organization ”Amra Sandwip bashi”, told that public curiosity had grown after the submarine cables became visible, but so had concern over the risks. He said electricity supply to the island would stop if the cable was damaged for any reason and called for urgent action.
Tanvir Ahmed Chowdhury, executive engineer of the Power Development Board in Sandwip, told that higher authorities had been informed after the matter came to light.
Sandwip Upazila Executive Officer Amjad Hossain said he had been informed of the issue through a letter from the power department. He said police and Ansar-VDP had been instructed to step up patrols and take necessary measures to ensure the security of the submarine cables.
