The power crisis across the country has become acute amid the intense heat. Complaints of prolonged power outages, frequent load sheddings and irregular supply are being received from various districts and upazilas. In some areas, there is no power for 10 to 12 hours a day. In some places, power is coming and going every hour. In some areas, power is available for only five hours in a 24-hour period. In some places, load shedding is happening 20 to 25 times a day.

Children, the elderly and the sick are the most affected by the power crisis. The suffering of patients admitted to hospitals is increasing. At the same time, students' studies, industrial production, small business and transport sector activities are being disrupted. Battery-powered auto-rickshaw and easy bike drivers are also losing income due to not being able to charge on time. Hotels, motels and restaurants in tourist centers are having to bear additional costs by running generators for long periods.

According to the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), the country's electricity demand at 7:30 pm on Sunday was 16,573 megawatts. At that time, 1,821 megawatts had to be load-shedded. At 3 pm on the same day, the load-shedding was 2,634 megawatts against a demand of 16,084 megawatts. Earlier, at 3 am on Saturday, 3,14 megawatts had to be load-shedded against a demand of 15,335 megawatts.

A chief engineer of the Power Development Board said that power generation has also decreased due to the decrease in gas supply. Before the recent crisis, up to 1 billion cubic feet of gas was supplied to power generation per day, but now it has come down to about 700 million cubic feet. Yesterday, Petrobangla supplied 680 million cubic feet of gas to the power sector. As a result, it is not possible to generate power as per demand.

The most critical situation is in Tahirpur, Sunamganj. According to local sources, only five hours of electricity is available there on an average in 24 hours. Although the electricity demand in the upazila is about 9 megawatts, only 3 megawatts are being supplied from the national grid. After a two-hour power outage at night, one hour is being supplied. Even during the day, electricity is coming and going every hour.

The situation is also critical in Saturia in Manikganj. Only 4 megawatts of electricity are available there against a demand of 14 megawatts. As a result, load shedding is occurring 20 to 25 times a day. Angered by this, local residents surrounded the rural electricity substation and protested yesterday evening.

In Abhaynagar, Jessore, power has been cut off 14 to 15 times in the last 24 hours. In Rajbari town, power went out five times from yesterday morning to 4:30 pm. After having power there for an hour, there was another load shedding for an hour. There was also an incident of power going out for two hours in a row somewhere in Goalanda of the district.

In Munshiganj, there were seven load sheddings for about an hour from yesterday morning to afternoon. Harinakundu in Jhenaidah suffered power cuts almost every hour from Saturday evening to midnight. Some areas of the upazila were without power from midnight to 5 am. There have been complaints of power cuts for an hour in Chapainawabganj town and for up to two hours in rural areas. Locals said that power cuts are occurring at least 15 to 16 times in 24 hours in Kuakata, Patuakhali.

Industries and small businesses have faced major losses due to the power crisis. In addition to the gas crisis in the Araihajar industrial area of ​​Narayanganj, production is being severely disrupted due to frequent load shedding. Industrial owners claim that power is not available for almost half of the 24 hours. Production machines are being shut down due to repeated power cuts. When power is restored, it takes time to restart the machines. This not only reduces production but also increases costs. Many factories are using generators but are unable to maintain normal production.

TM Mejbah Uddin, Deputy General Manager of the Arai Hazar Zonal Office of Narayanganj Palli Bidyut Samity-2, said that the supply is currently low as work is underway at some power plants.

Businessmen in Natore, Rajbari, Bogra, Manikganj, Chapainawabganj and Kurigram have also reported losses due to the power shortage. Sawmills, workshops, rice mills, online services and various computer-based works are being disrupted. The income of easy bike and auto-rickshaw drivers has also decreased due to the inability to charge the batteries.

The power shortage has also negatively affected the hotel, motel and restaurant business in Kuakata, the tourist center of Patuakhali. Those concerned said that many establishments have to run generators for 15 to 16 hours a day. This has increased fuel and operating costs. The suffering of tourists is also increasing due to the irregular supply of electricity. Hoteliers said that some are canceling bookings out of annoyance.

Load shedding has also created additional pressure on healthcare. As there is no generator in the Nalchiti Upazila Health Complex in Jhalakathi, patients have to stay in the heat when the power goes out. The generator in the Tahirpur Upazila Health Complex in Sunamganj has been out of order for a long time. As a result, medical services are being severely disrupted during load shedding. Patients admitted to the Hakimpur Upazila Health Complex in Dinajpur have also reported suffering from the power shortage. Especially the elderly and patients with respiratory problems are suffering more in the intense heat.

The suffering of students has increased due to frequent load shedding even during the ongoing HSC exams. Due to the lack of power at night in Natore, Munshiganj, Rajbari, Bogra, Sirajganj and Chapainawabganj, many students have to study by candlelight and flashlights.

Hossain Ahmed Toufiq, a teacher at the Tahirpur Model Government Primary School, said that the power goes out in the evening. This prevents children from studying properly.

Mohsin Mia, an autorickshaw driver from Araihajar, said that the battery cannot be charged due to lack of electricity. One has to drive one day and sit the next. This has made it difficult to run the household.

Officials of various power distribution companies say that due to less electricity being received from the national grid compared to the demand, they are being forced to provide load shedding in various areas. In Araihajar, 70 to 75 MW is being received against the demand of 100 MW. In Harinakundu, 5 to 7 MW is being supplied against 12 MW and in Lalpur in Natore, 14 MW is being supplied against 25 MW.

In Nalchit, 6 to 7 MW is being received against the demand of 13 MW. In Abhaynagar, 30 to 33 MW is being received against 50 MW and in Chapainawabganj, 99 MW is being received against 148 MW. In Barguna, Hakimpur, Saturia and Homna, electricity is also being supplied significantly less than the demand.

Munchiganj Palli Bidyut Samity AGM (Operation and Maintenance) Muhammad Sohrab Ali said that the electricity supply from the national grid is about 60 megawatts less than the district's demand. In this situation, there is no other option but to resort to load shedding.

The people's suffering is increasing due to the power shortage coupled with the intense heat. Those concerned fear that the situation will become even more critical if the power supply is not restored soon.