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Aziz and Rehana – a couple living in Dhaka’s Rampura area – are concerned about the effects of intense summer heat on their four-month-old baby Ananya, a problem made worse by the scheduled load shedding.
Power cuts shut down fans and every other electrical appliance, causing the baby to cry in discomfort amid the hot weather. The length of daily load shedding makes the continuous use of a hand fan to cool down nearly impossible.
“We can tolerate the sweltering heat. But a four-month-old baby cannot do so easily. So I purchased a rechargeable fan even though it was a bit pricey,” Aziz said.
Like Aziz and Rehana, many city dwellers are buying rechargeable fans and lights to cope with the government mandated one-hour load shedding every day, introduced to tackle a fuel shortage.
The price of a rechargeable fan starts from around Tk 1,000 – Tk 1,500. A number of shopkeepers around Dhaka told The Business Post that sales of such items have gone up significantly since the load shedding announcement. Hridoy Hossain, an employee of DN Store located in the city’s New Market area, said, “The demand for fans has increased in the last few days due to rising heat and load shedding. We used to sell 3 to 4 fans daily, now we are selling 15 to 20 fans every day.”
Abdus Salam, manager of VIP Crockeries shop in the same area, said, “Most of the fans in the market are manufactured by Chinese companies, and these items come with rechargeable lights.
“We sell rechargeable fans of various brands such as Miyako, Nova, Defender, Sunca and Kennede. Our sales have increased four to fivefold in the last two months. The price of these items starts from Tk 3,000 and goes over Tk 10,000.”
Both the shopkeepers said the price of rechargeable fans have recently gone up by Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,500. As the company increases prices, the shops are readjusting the rates too.
Traders say the prices of rechargeable fans and lights are going up due to the increase in demand.
Rabiul Alam went to New Market to buy a charger fan. He said that “ The continual excessive heat and recently added load shedding has compelled me to buy a charger fan to get minimum relief from the existing intolerable situation.”
Apart from the shops, the sale of rechargeable lights and fans has also increased on the roadsides of Nawabpur, Baitul Mukarram, and Malibagh-Mouchak areas. Many people are buying these lights and fans on their way home.
Several roadside footpath vendors in Baitul Mukarram and Malibagh-Mouchak area said the rechargeable lights and small fans are selling more. The price of rechargeable lights starts from Tk 100 taka to over Tk 1000 depending on the size.
Meanwhile, the price of rechargeable fans starts from Tk 500. These traders can provide more expensive lights and fans to customers if there is a demand.
On Monday, prime minister’s Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury announced that electricity will be distributed through area-wise load shedding as per a schedule from Tuesday across the country to reduce the loss of fuel oil.
Apart from this, diesel-based power plants will be closed from Monday, he said, adding that the shops have been directed to close their doors for the night after 8pm.
