Desperate for power
Monday, 23 July 2007
LIFE without electricity continues to be the fate of Bangladeshis. Cooling fans do not whirl overhead during these days, foods in refrigerators rot from long periods of power turn-offs, students cannot study peacefully for their academic pursuits, motors cannot be run to lift water to overhand tanks in households and even water supply gets badly disrupted from water producing power pumps of WASA not functioning. Thus, quality of life and living has become wretched for a very large number of countrymen. The sufferings described above are not in the category of direct economic losses or production losses. But the same have turned life into one of unending torments for a great many number of people .
And the economic losses are too obvious. According to a recent report, 64 per cent of industries of different types have become heavily dependent on generators. This compares with 25 per cent in India and much lower per cent in Thailand and China. Thus, from having to produce their own power expensively, Bangladeshi industries have seriously eroded their competitiveness. If it keeps on like this, many could go out of business fairly soon and potential entrepreneurs will hold back from materialising their plans out of a concern that they would have no electricity to run their newly established industries.
Thus, people are desperate to have power supply augmented immediately and from any source. Holding out the carrot of a road-map of power self sufficiency by next 10 or 15 years will not do. People want immediate relief which can be provided from taking realistic steps instantly that would encourage the captive power producers (CPPs) to send their ready and excess power to the national grid.
Humayun Ahmed
Jessore
And the economic losses are too obvious. According to a recent report, 64 per cent of industries of different types have become heavily dependent on generators. This compares with 25 per cent in India and much lower per cent in Thailand and China. Thus, from having to produce their own power expensively, Bangladeshi industries have seriously eroded their competitiveness. If it keeps on like this, many could go out of business fairly soon and potential entrepreneurs will hold back from materialising their plans out of a concern that they would have no electricity to run their newly established industries.
Thus, people are desperate to have power supply augmented immediately and from any source. Holding out the carrot of a road-map of power self sufficiency by next 10 or 15 years will not do. People want immediate relief which can be provided from taking realistic steps instantly that would encourage the captive power producers (CPPs) to send their ready and excess power to the national grid.
Humayun Ahmed
Jessore