How does a fan move? I asked my 6-year old student and the answer I got straight away was- by switching on the switch. For a child of that age it was enough of an answer but not for other older kids. They were curious- how, how does electricity reach our house?
And then we had a stroke of luck. We got a call to visit BSES office and see and learn all about how electricity is transferred from home to home, how electrical repairs are done and what are safety rules one must know and so on. All thanks to Anuj Bakshi for arranging this entire session for kids.
This long, complicated but very interesting topic was very well explained by R.K. Yadav DGM ( BSES). He patiently explained the entire process to kids and satisfied their queries too.
Yadav started by explaining how electricity is made and then transferred through underground cables and overhead wires (power lines). Electricity generated at power plants, reaches our homes through multiple substations, transmission and distribution lines and transformers. Kids were shown safety equipments, different kinds of cables and tools used for electrical work.
Yadav took us from room to room, explaining and showing us all the transformers, panels and told kids how high voltage 33kv vcb is controlled by step down transformers. The electricity that reaches the BSES office is very high 33kv. It cannot be controlled manually. It is operated from a different place. This high voltage has to be reduced or converted to step down voltage 11 kv and then circulated or distributed through underground cables or transmission lines to the poles and then sent to our homes.
Yadav explained how minor faults are repaired by lines men and for major faults, a different or special team has to come and check for faults. First, they have to isolate the faulty portion and then repair it.
Yadav explained several safety tips to take during a fire or short circuit. Like first thing one must do is to turn off the mains or try to pull off the plug with a wooden stick. Never to throw water on fire until and unless the main source of electricity is switched off.
A very wise tip Yadav shared was – if one has to switch on 3 to 4 Ac s at a time say night time then one must keep a gap of 20 – 25 minutes in between. That prevents the sudden load on wires. That way the compressor gets turned on / off at different times. This gets safer for the consumers as well as at the substation as the loads on the wires gets balanced out.
Here I would also like to add a very interesting fact about the BSES off Def col, which should be an inspiration for all, they have used a lot of discarded or waste to make lots of useful things like tables, signboard, storage cabinets, planter stands etc…
It was a long explanation but kids left very excited and quite satisfied. Yadav treated kids with refreshments and the entire staff was very hospitable. It was a memorable experience for us.
Please call on 8448792258 BSES in case of emergency.
