Load shedding continues taking heavy toll on public life

Reza Mahmud :
Severe load shedding creates untold sufferings to the people of all aged during the palm ripening scorching hot weather across the country.

Sources said, big cities, like the capital Dhaka, have got little load shedding while the rural people across the country become serious victims of acute shortages of power.

Especially the children and old aged people become more vulnerable in this unbearable situation.

The current month of the Bangla calendar is Bhadro which is well-known as one of the severe hot months in the year.

On the other hand, huge load shedding, and low voltage, during the last couple of weeks have been causing untold sufferings to the people in almost all districts.

Our correspondent, Munir Uddin Ahmed from Khulna said, acute load shedding make village people of the area serious sufferer.

He said total electricity demand of the village area of Khulna district in the Palli Bidyut Samity is 72 megawatt every day while it can supply 52 to 57 megawatt in its areas.

As a result, people are used to suffer about seven hours load shedding on an average every day.

Village people in Boalmari upazila of Faridpur district said they are passing days in pain due to acute shortages of electricity supply.

They said the parents have to pass sleepless nights mostly due to give children air with hand fans as the load shedding occurs every night.

Our correspondents from Chattogram, Rajshahi, Lalmonirhat, and other district and upazilas echoed the same.

When contacted, Energy expert Professor M Shamsul Alam told The New Nation, “Keeping big cities like Dhaka and Chattogram enlightened with electricity and rural people are being deprived creating serious discrimination.”

“Less of competitiveness in producing and selling energy is hampering the power sector seriously.

As a result, the sector itself is being destroyed and making the people seriously vulnerable,” he said.

The energy expert said, energy security should given importance like food security.

“Without ensuring sufficient energy it is not be possible to produce rice and other food grains,” he said.

Sources said, frequent load shedding is also hampering smooth irrigation and production in the industrial sector in every district.

Extreme heat and lack of rain also put extra strain on the rural people.

Meanwhile, daily load shedding of five to six hours is disrupting production in local small industries. Due to load shedding, the cost of buying diesel and running generators is increasing.

Production in small and medium industries has halved, traders said.

They are facing losses due to an increase in the cost of production. Not only businessmen are facing losses, but students and the general public of all classes are also facing hardships.