More than 1,500 kilometers of overhead and underground transmission lines and 1,043 power pylons in southwestern Khuzestan Province (except in the provincial capital Ahvaz) were damaged in the recent flash floods, managing director of Khuzestan Regional Electric Company said.
Total damage to the electricity network in the province (excluding Ahvaz) is estimated at 170 billion rials ($1.2 million), ISNA reported Mahmoud Dasht-Bozorg as saying.
Many areas are still under water and more damage to the network is possible. Efforts are underway to keep the network running and prevent further problems, he added.
“We are trying to prevent water flow into the power transmission equipment. But we do not have all the necessary equipment to fight the flood. We have asked other electric companies in Isfahan and Fars provinces for help and to send us the required machinery,” Dasht-Bozorg said.
Rains unseen in the country over the past six decades hit across the country from March 19 and caused torrential floods in 24 provinces.
The deluge killed at least 70 people and destroyed hundreds of towns and villages shattering the lives of thousands of people, mostly in the deprived areas. Massive material damage was inflicted by the bad weather as massive volumes of water and high winds toppled bridges, power transmission lines and uprooted roads and highways, mainly in the north and southwest of the country.
Thousands of homes were washed away along with millions of acres of farmlands as rivers overflowed and dams burst their banks
Karkheh and Dez rivers in the oil-rich province were unable to store more water and inundated many towns and rural areas. Reports say 70 villages in the province were evacuated in the past three weeks.
