Power outage hits daily life hard, consumers getting aggrieved

Power outages hit various parts of the country bringing miseries to the daily lives of people amid hot weather with many customers showing angry reactions or posting on social media.

Fear grips over load shedding as goods preserved in cold storages in Rangpur. Power outage also caused disaster in medical, education, industries and agriculture while irrigation crisis hit Nagaon and factory operation is being disrupted in Sirajganj.

People are suffering from power outage in Naogaon. Factory operation being disrupted; irrigation crisis hits Aus and Ropa Aman cultivation.

Jannatun Ferdous, a homemaker from Lichubagan area of Naogaon’s Mahdebpur upazila, said load shedding occurs for unlimited time throughout the day, with no electricity for 5-6 hours at night over the past week. She also said they could not sleep well at night and their children could not study either.

Officials at Northern Electricity Supply Company (NESCO) and Palli Bidyut Samity said power supply from national grid is very low against the demand as gas shortage disrupts power generation. That is why frequent load shedding is occurring.

Nagaon Palli Bidyut Samity-1 deputy general manager (technical) engineer Lutful Hasan Sarkar said there are 460,000 customers of Naogaon Palli Bidyut Samity-1 with an average demand of 90MW a day but they are now receiving 40-45MW electricity a day.

Power Grid Company of Bangladesh's (PGCBL), Rajshahi office executive engineer Mostafizur Rahman said, “Low pressure of gas is disrupting power generation. The state minister of power explained it on a social media post several days ago.”

There is a demand of 150-155 megawatts of electricity in Rangpur district but power supply was 80-85 megawatts, causing load shedding for hours and causing sufferings to business establishments and residential houses.

Chief engineer of NESCO’s Rangpur regional office Shahadat Hossain told Prothom Alo that there is a demand of 900 megawatts of electricity in eight districts of Rangpur division while 450 megawatts, half of the demand, are being supplied. On Tuesday, 450 megawatts of electricity was supplied in this division against its demand of 650 megawatts.

Customers are getting annoyed as power outage hit various places in Rangpur city. Rangpur Chamber of Commerce president Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury said cold storages are in dire straits because of non-stop power outage; generators are being used for power supply but temperature of cold storages is not being controlled properly.

This crisis aroused following a very low supply of electricity from national grid against the demand, NESCO’s Shahadat Hossain said.

Acute power outage has hit various upazilas of Sirajganj for six days, disrupting production at factories. Business fear loss too.

Golam Mostafa, a trader from Sirajganj town, said, “Eid is ahead and if such power outage rises, we will face huge loss in business on top of the damage inflicted by coronavirus during the past several Eid.”

NESCO Sirajganj’s executive engineer Abdur Rauf said the daily demand for Sirajganj town is at least 25 megawatts, but they are getting 14-15 megawatts only. There is nothing they can do if the supply from the national grid is insufficient.

In Natore’s Lalpur upazila, there is load shedding for 16 hours each day. 300,000 residents of Lalpur, which is known as the warmest place in the country, have been suffering in excess heat. People are struggling to complete menial household chores and sectors like medical, education, factories and agriculture are suffering a lot. The officials were unable to say when this problem will end.

Deputy General Manager (DGM) of Lalpur zonal office of Natore Palli Bidyut Samity-2 Rejaul Karim Khan said there are eight feeders in the upazila. After two hours of load shedding in each of the eight feeders, there is electricity for one hour. Then the cycle once again begins. According to this, there is no electricity in the area in 16 out of the 24 hours each day.

Rehena Begum, an elderly homemaker from Uttar Lalpur village said, all her children live elsewhere. She purchases entire week’s produce at once and stores those in her fridge. As there is no electricity for the majority of the day, the food stored in her fridge is rotting. This is making her life difficult.

Orfi Hasan from Chamtia village said, she studies in Japan. After nearly three years she has returned to her paternal home in Bangladesh with her husband. But due to constant load shedding they are having trouble to sleep. They are falling sick.

People of Badarganj, Rangpur also have been suffering due to load shedding. On behalf of the assistant general manager of Rangpur Palli Bidyut Samity-2, a loudspeaker announcement was made on Sunday at Badarganj Sadar upazila from the afternoon till night to apologise for the inconvenience.

The consumers alleged that constant load shedding has been happening in the upazila for the past eight days. The irritated users have taken to Facebook and posted comments against the Palli Bidyut Samity.

Alamgir Hossain, a consumer of Palli Bidyut Samity from Amrulbari village said it has been scorching hot for the past seven-eight days and there have been frequent load shedding. Electricity is available for less than five hours during daytime.

A cloth retailer at Badarganj market, Sirajul said, there is hardly any electricity during day and night.

Facebook user Faruk Hossain said, is this the sample of the government's claim of ensuring electricity connection in every household. What was the need to increase the number of consumers, if there is a shortage in electricity production?

Mehedi Hasan, a resident of Kalupara union of the same upazila said, I’ve never seen load shedding like this before. Children and elderly people have been suffering a lot.

Badarganj Palli Bidyut Samity’s assistant general manager Fakhrul Islam said, the electricity supply is insufficient compared to the demand. And that is causing load shedding. Compared to the 15-megawatt demand of electricity in the upazila, for the past three-four days we have received only three-four megawatts.

* Rangpur staff correspondent, Naogaon, Natore, Badarganj and Sirajganj correspondents have contributed to this report