Acute load shedding results in massive public suffering

The State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid struck an ominous note when he stated that there is no hope of improvement in the ongoing load shedding situation before November, as gas could not be imported. He said the government has to operate some power plants on an alternative basis, due to the lack of adequate fuel supply. “We keep some power generation units closed during daytime while others are shut down at night. That’s why the extent of load shedding has increased”, he told the media at his ministry recently.

Incidentally the government assured the people that load shedding would completely end this month. However that obviously has not happened and darker days–both literally and figuratively, are ahead, at least until the next month. At present people can do little but to keep their fingers crossed.

Ironically the load-shedding decision of the government came on the heels of the government’s grandoise declaration of providing electricity to 100 per cent of the people. Media reports suggest that there has always been a shortage and the crisis has intensified in recent times.

Load-shedding does not befit a fast developing country like Bangladesh. However desperate times call for desperate measures. Sometimes the authorities are forced to take unpopular decisions. And the people were given to understand that the power cut decision is a temporary coping mechanism. The people welcomed the initiative of announcing the load shedding earlier for a specific time and specific area. However, the plan faltered from day one. Particularly in the rural areas, the authorities concerned failed to maintain the schedule. Instead of one or two hours, many districts are experiencing frequent bouts of load shedding every day. The situation outside Dhaka is worsening day by day with eight to nine hours of load shedding occurring daily.

The situation has worsened in the capital too with Dhaka experiencing two hours of power outage daily.

Observers say the roots of the crisis go back way before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to an oil and gas squeeze. We believe over-dependency on imports and long-time negligence of local resources were the major causes behind this energy crisis. Ironically the load-shedding decision comes on the heels of the government’s grandiose declaration of providing electricity to 100 per cent of the people. Media reports suggest that there has always been a shortage and the crisis has intensified in recent times.

Experts and laypersons alike believe that one hour of daily load shedding is manageable for consumers. However, longer-duration load shedding has resulted in sufferings for countless people. Time was when load shedding for hours on end was the rule. However, in recent years, load shedding has become an anachronism. For a generation of children and early teens, this is their first exposure to regular power cuts.

Bangladesh’s power sector has increasingly relied on imports of fossil fuels, including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) which is a “very volatile commodity” that risks becoming too expensive for poorer importing countries. Experts have called for more exploration and expansion of gas production at home to reduce reliance on imported fuels.

The increasing duration of power has resulted in massive sufferings for countless people. Time was when load shedding for hours on end was the rule. However in the recent years load shedding has become an anachronism. For a generation of children and early-teens this is their first exposure to regular power cuts.

Wherever electricity can be saved, measures must be taken. There are electric billboards on various roads and highways in the capital and plans can be made to close them on time. Effective initiatives should be taken to stop illegal connections as well as to reduce system losses that have been plaguing the sector for years. Emphasis should be laid on increasing domestic gas production.