Cost of disparity in power distribution

Frequent load-shedding in rural areas is not only causing public suffering, but also badly affecting economic activities. From hatcheries to poultry farms and from small cottage industries to healthcare facilities and other day-to-day operations are being hampered in every sector. Many villagers who have invested their lifesavings to set up poultry farms are witnessing their chickens keel over and die due to the scorching heat exacerbated by power outages.
The egg and chicken production have also been severely disrupted. To keep their businesses afloat, many are being forced to use diesel generators, which significantly increase production costs. Power outages are also hampering the agricultural sector as farmers cannot run irrigation pumps to water their fields. Meanwhile, the frozen shrimp export industry is struggling because aerators cannot be operated during power cuts, leading to heavy losses of shrimp stocks. Cold storage facilities are also being disrupted, resulting in the large-scale spoilage of onions.
Small and medium sized enterprises are no better off and face significant reduction in their daily production because of the frequent power outages. Speaking to a national daily, the owner of a food processing factory in Gazipur said his factory’s daily output had been cut by half in recent weeks because of persistent electricity disruptions. Meanwhile, auto rice mill operators complain the frequent load-shedding is damaging their machinery, causing employees to be idle most of the day, and exacerbating their financial losses.
Small businesses in rural areas, such as computer and Internet services, are also in deep trouble. Load shedding prevents activities like photocopying, composing, and printing. Those who earn a living by running electric vehicle such as easy bikes and electric-powered vans are also facing significant interruption in their daily operation as they cannot properly charge their vehicles. Medical care in rural areas is another great concern and a casualty of load-shedding. Patients face long waits for procedures like x-rays, mammograms and ultrasonic tests. What normally takes minutes can take several hours, while awaiting the power to be restored due to power interruptions.
Factories in the Gazipur–Tongi industrial belt are also witnessing severe disruptions to their daily operations. Several factory owners lamented when speaking to media recently that it has become increasingly difficult to keep their factories running due to power outages lasting 10 to 12 hours a day.
Overall, load-shedding is crippling the rural economy, disrupting businesses, and affecting everyday life. Things have come to such a pass that people in several districts have taken to the streets, attacking and vandalising power substations and, in some cases, assaulting line office staffs. Media reports indicate that such incidents have occurred in at least 14 locations across 10 districts in recent days. In some areas, Palli Bidyut officials have sought police protection. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) and four MPs have written to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, requesting an increased power supply to help ease the crisis.
Daily electricity demand during the summer peaks at around 18,000 megawatts. The energy adviser recently acknowledged that the country is facing a power generation deficit of nearly 3,000 megawatts. Although Bangladesh has an installed generation capacity of about 29,000 megawatts, actual electricity production has been severely constrained by fuel shortages and mounting unpaid dues to private power producers. As a result, the burden of load-shedding has fallen disproportionately on rural communities.
The disparity in power distribution between urban and rural areas is unfair, to say the least. Official data illustrate the extent of this imbalance. At 8:00 pm on June 30, when the nationwide load-shedding stood at 2,688 megawatts, rural areas alone accounted for 2,592 megawatts, about 96 per cent of the total outage. Access to electricity is a basic necessity, not a privilege reserved for urban residents. Rural people are entitled to the same reliable electricity supply as their counterparts in the cities, and the government must ensure equitable access to power for all.

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