Home ›› Economy ›› Agriculture
Hannan Ali Sheikh, a 30-year-old inhabitant of Sonagachi village in the northern district of Sirajganj, keeps his shallow machine just beside the kitchen. The machine remains idle and useless.
Now he lives his daily life as a logger. He has a wife, and his son will soon sit for the Secondary School Certificate exams. Hannan has no land for cultivation and no cash in hand. Bearing the food expenses for his family has now become a problem for him.
“I used to earn Tk 1,000-1,500 every day by running the sallow machine for irrigation. Because of the newly installed solar irrigation pumps, I have lost my job as well as my earnings.
“Now I work as a logger and earn Tk 500-600 a day when work is available. I can hardly manage work as people do not cut trees regularly,” he told The Business Post.
“I applied for a solar irrigation pump, but the authorities did not give me that as I do not have my land to set up the system. When it comes to running my family, I am in trouble,” he added.
The government plans to set up 45,000 solar irrigation pumps by 2031 to replace the diesel-run irrigation pumps. Till June 21 this year, some 2,954 pumps have been set up with a combined generation capacity of 54.87 MWp.
Although they are providing cheap irrigation compared to diesel-run pumps, solar irrigation pumps are accelerating unemployment in the agriculture sector, causing families to struggle.
During field visits, it was found that every 5 KWp solar system installation is leaving a person unemployed and Hannan is one of them. People are becoming unemployed in different parts of the country as solar irrigation pump installation projects are running in 25 out of 64 districts.
Another family is in big trouble as two brothers have become unemployed due to the installation of a single solar irrigation pump. The same solar pump which made Hannan unemployed has caused trouble for Rejaul Karim, 28, and his family in Sonagachi.
Rejaul had maintained his family by running a diesel-run irrigation pump for the last 15 years. He has his parents, a wife, and a newborn boy of three months. His diesel-run pump became useless due to the installation of solar pumps.
His brother used to work as a repairman of diesel-run shallow engines. When he became unemployed, his brother suddenly suffered a stroke, becoming completely bedridden. The brother, his wife and two siblings became dependent on Rejaul, who is now responsible to run the large family of nine members.
“I can earn money using the engine only for two months in a year by setting it in a tractor. The tractor is used in ploughing and thrashing. I am now broke. How can I run this large family round the year?” Rejaul said.
Irrigation is needed in February, March and April for Boro rice cultivation and in July and August for Rupa Aman cultivation.
“Earnings during these five months were enough to run my family round the year. Solar pumps have caused my earnings to disappear, putting me and my family in trouble,” Rejaul said.
No plan to create jobs
According to the 2020 guidelines for the grid integration of solar irrigation pumps, the country has 3.65 lakh electric irrigation pumps that consume around 2,000 megawatts of electricity in summer.
There are around 13.4 lakh diesel-run irrigation pumps, and the government has a target to replace these pumps to save electricity. However, the government has no plans to generate employment for the people who are becoming unemployed due to the replacement.
Shahidul Islam, a local government representative and a union parishad member, got approval from Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) to set up solar irrigation pumps at a subsidised cost. But neither Rejaul nor Hannan got the pumps.
“I will supply water to farmers and they will pay for it. That is my main benefit. I need no manpower to run this pump. It’s just a matter of switch on and off,” Shahidul, currently the co-owner of a 9.6 kWh solar irrigation pump with the BREB, told The Business Post.
He had to pay Tk 48,000 when the BREB approved his application for setting up the pump on his land. He will have to pay Tk 4,20,000 more in instalments in 10 years.
“Everyone does not have the necessary links and contacts to avail of these facilities. Not everyone can calculate the benefit of a new system either. I realised the benefits and availed the opportunity,” Shahidul said.
He said, “Tk 35,000-40,000 can be earned every year from irrigation, and I have to add a little extra to pay the instalments. Once the power purchase agreement is signed between me and BREB after connecting with the national grid, I will sell electricity at Tk 4.5 per unit during the rainy season when no irrigation is needed.”
“After 10 years, I will become the sole owner of the pump. I am happy with this asset,” he added.
Shakil Ibn Sayed, director of the BREB’s Solar Photovoltaic Pumping for Agricultural Irrigation Project, said, “This is just the beginning of a pilot project. Under it, 2,000 solar systems will be installed by BREB. Some people are becoming unemployed, but those who are getting approval from us are mainly farmers.”
KM Ali Azam, deputy director (solar) of the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA), said, “There is no plan of arranging employment for those who will become unemployed due to the installation of solar irrigation pumps. The government has other ministries and departments to deal with this matter.”
A mismatch with national database
The main stakeholder of solar irrigation pumps, Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), is a government-owned specialised non-bank financial institution that finances renewable infrastructure projects in Bangladesh.
It gives grants and loans to entrepreneurs and private companies for setting up solar pumps.
Solargao Limited is one of the private companies that installed three plants in Rupsha, a remote char of the Jamuna River in Sirajganj, with IDCOL’s support. Each plant has a generation capacity of 45 KWp. The plants are hybrid. They run on solar heat in the daytime and diesel at night.
Dokkhin Niogbari and Rupsha Shimultola plants have 18 irrigation pump connections each and the Uttar Akandighi plant has 20 connections, according to the SREDA database.
But in reality, Dokkhin Niogbari has 15, Rupsha Shimultola has 13, and Uttar Akandighi has no pump connections at all. The company provided pumps to those who were interested.
Md Abu Hanif of Rupsha’s Uttarpara said, “I received their pump, and my pump is sitting idle at home. Solargao charges Tk 20 for each unit of electricity.”
In Bangladesh, the maximum retail price of per unit electricity is Tk 12.03 for customers who use more than 600 units per month and Tk 3.94 for those who use up to 50 units.
Dokkhin Niogbari, Rupsha Shimultola and Uttar Akandighi plants created only one employment. His name is Abu Bakar and he has an SSC exam equivalent vocational degree.
“I alone look after the three plants as a manager. I am also the accountant as I collect bills and take the necessary steps when any pump faces technical faults,” he said.
When asked about the mismatch between the SREDA database and the real situation, Solargao Director Shahriar Noman told The Business Post, “I do not think employment figures will vary that much. When we installed the plants, the farmers said they will receive our pumps but they did not take the pumps afterwards.”
“However, we provided residential connections,” he added.
IDCOL provides up to 50 per cent in loan for the project cost for solar irrigation and up to 40 per cent for the solar mini or microgrid.
Jobs must be created
Experts have criticised the process of energy transition and recommended employment generation for those who have lost their earnings.
“A pump or a plant, which includes grants and loans, must be provided for those who are at risk of unemployment due to the installation of solar irrigation pumps. The government should strictly maintain this.
“Otherwise, the journey to renewable energy and sustainable development won’t stay on track,” said M Zakir Hossain Khan, executive director of the non-profit organisation Change Initiative.
“If people become victims and lose income, what will we do with carbon reduction? We must reduce emissions and create employment. There is no option for putting people in a situation where they will be unemployed,” he told The Business Post.
Every 10 kW solar plant reduces around 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission in its lifetime.
According to the SREDA database, some 2,925 solar irrigation systems have been installed so far with a combined capacity of 54.45 MW.
The Asian Development Bank supported BREB in installing 232 plants of 2.13 MW capacity across the country. Besides, 1,619 systems of 44.86 MW capacity have been installed by private companies and entrepreneurs by receiving grants and loans from IDCOL.
Barind Multipurpose Development Authority has installed systems of 4.37 MW and Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation 3.04 MW. The rest have been installed by Rural Development Academy, Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, and Bangladesh Rice Research Institute.
This story was produced with the help of the Thomson Routers Foundation. The content is the sole responsibility of the author and the publisher.
