Underground cabling: Can cities escape the tangled web of cables?
Despite its own set of challenges, underground cabling can significantly enhance public safety, improve urban aesthetics, and ensure a more reliable power supply
On 23 November, the shocking news of three students of the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) dying by electrocution shook the nation.
One of the buses taking them to a picnic came into contact with an overhead bare 11 kilovolt (kV) electric wire in Gazipur's Sreepur.
Besides the three killed, around 60 were left injured from the electrocution.
Such incidents are nothing new in the country.
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On 21 September last year, four people were electrocuted during a heavy rainfall in Mirpur.
The rain caused waterlogging, and a lightning strike broke an electric wire, which fell into the water.
Several utility providers, including cable TV operators, internet service providers (ISPs), and the state-owned land phone operator BDCL, use overhead cables to deliver their services to consumers.
They all share the same poles used by the electricity supply company.
Overhead cables create an eyesore and carry a risk of accidents.
The electric wires hanging like cobwebs on the streets often pose a serious threat to public safety. This brings up the question of a solution— underground cabling.
The discussion of underground cabling gained momentum at the beginning of 2020.
Former State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid had said that all overhead electric lines in major cities, including Dhaka, would be taken underground within the next five years– which means 2025.
"We'll do this to ensure uninterrupted and secured power supply, not only for beautification," he had said.
As 2024 draws to a close, the vision of a wireless city by 2025 remains distant.
However, it is true that some progress has been made.
Initially, the promise was convincing because it came with immediate action and proof.
BPDB signed a contract with Australian firm Energy Tron R&D KIS Group to award the Tk25.30 crore job of taking overhead electric cables underground in four cities— Sylhet, Cumilla, Chattogram and Mymensingh.
Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) ran a pilot project in Sylhet, making it the first city in the country to have a road free of tangled overhead cables.
It successfully initiated underground cabling in the Dargah Gate area of Sylhet.
The road with no overhead cables turned out so aesthetic that hundreds of people gathered to see it.
A seven-kilometre area of the city is set to become cable-free under the pilot project, costing Tk55 crore.
Following this pilot project, underground cabling began in the capital Dhaka.
Electricity connections through underground cables were implemented for the first time in the Monipuri Para area of Tejgaon in early 2022.
Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC), a public limited company under the Power Division of the government's Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, is responsible for electricity distribution in Dhaka and its adjacent Narayanganj.
In terms of underground cabling, how much progress have we made so far?
To answer this question, the discussion must focus on DPDC's mega project, the Expansion and Strengthening of Power System Network (ESPSN).
The project is worth a groundbreaking deal of Tk20,500 crore to ensure a safe, secure, and uninterrupted electricity supply in the Dhaka South City Corporation and adjacent Narayanganj.
Signed in 2019, the project is funded by the Chinese Exim Bank.
As part of this project, it includes replacing overhead electricity lines with underground cables.
Dhanmondi has been taken as a pilot area for Dhaka.
Here, 190 km of overhead electricity cables are being taken underground. Of these, about 115 km are of 11 kV overhead lines, and 75 km are 0.4 kV lines.
These are distribution lines to supply electricity to households.
All overhead electric cables in a specific area of Dhanmondi, including Satmasjid Road, Mirpur Road, City College, and Greenherald School area, are planned to be moved underground, leaving no visible cables.
It aims to convert the overhead distribution network along both sides of the 19-kilometre main road from Bangabhaban to Jahangir Gate and the 10-kilometre main road from Gabtoli to Azimpur into an underground distribution network.
It also includes setting up 40 substations in the city and moving the overhead cables of Hatirjheel Lake underground.
"Medium and high-voltage cables should be underground, while 11 kV and 0.4 kV cables can remain overhead. There is no issue with that. Overhead cabling is also common in other countries. However, everything is unorganised and chaotic in our country. But the cables placed overhead need to be properly arranged and secured."
In September 2023, BBC Bangla reported that the City Corporation's effort to remove hanging wires from Dhaka city was stopped after internet and satellite TV cable operators pushed back, showing little interest in the project.
A senior official from the Power Division told UNB in March this year, "Despite multiple invitations from DPDC, no internet or TV cable operator agreed to participate. They were even offered to join for free, but there was no response."
Initially, the planned work of the project was delayed for nearly two years due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
But it also took a long time to finalise the project plans.
"Approval of the City Corporation and the Roads and Highways Department is required for road excavation. Getting permissions from various departments often takes a long time," Engineer Abdullah Noman, Managing Director of DPDC told The Business Standard.
"Even if we get permission, digging up roads for work disrupts public life. Our areas are highly densely populated. We often need to stop work for various reasons which causes delay," he added.
With an excuse of the Covid-19, the project has already been extended once by two and a half years, pushing the deadline to June 2024.
However, it still remains incomplete and needs another extension.
"We have asked for an extension by around two years. Hopefully, it will be granted soon," the DPDC official confirmed.
"Currently, we are working on undergrounding the sub-station to the sub-station network, which is suitable for medium and high-voltage cables of 33 kV and 132 kV. The cabling for new sub-stations is being done underground, and some existing ones are being shifted as well," he added.
But is underground cabling the ultimate solution to the messy urban cityscape? Are we heading toward complete undergrounding then?
Noman believes that, technically, it's not mandatory for all electrical cables to go underground, aside from the aesthetic aspect.
"Medium and high-voltage cables should be underground, while 11 kV and 0.4 kV cables can remain overhead. There is no issue with that. Overhead cabling is also common in other countries. However, everything is unorganised and chaotic in our country. But the cables placed overhead need to be properly arranged and secured," he explained.
What about our South Asian neighbouring countries?
The adoption of underground cabling is gradually increasing in the region but it remains limited due to high costs and infrastructure challenges.
In India, cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai have started transitioning to underground cabling.
Sri Lanka has made significant progress, particularly in Colombo, the capital. Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, has also begun efforts to install underground power lines.
In Pakistan, underground power cables are found in parts of Islamabad and Karachi, especially in newer developments and business districts.
Underground cabling, however, is not flawless; it has its own set of disadvantages.
For instance, it's far more expensive, since the cost of undergrounding cables is several times greater than overhead power lines.
Overhead wire breaks can be repaired in hours but underground repairs can take days or even weeks.
They are also more vulnerable to damage from ground movement.
The 2011 Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand resulted in the damage of 360 kilometres of high-voltage underground cables, leading to widespread power outages across Christchurch.
