Eid joy dimmed by power outages

Eid brought a long holiday. Schools, colleges, offices, and courts were closed. Naturally, the demand for electricity across the country was lower. Yet even during this holiday, various areas experienced power outages. In some places, electricity supply was cut off for up to five days. As a result, instead of enjoying the festive mood, people in many areas suffered extreme hardship.

Before the holiday, the power division had announced that uninterrupted electricity supply would be ensured during Eid. Various initiatives were taken for this purpose. However, storms and rain upended all plans. Prolonged power cuts dampened the joy of Eid and instead brought misery. Particularly, storing sacrificial meat became problematic. Some people had to delay their sacrifices until the next day while waiting for electricity to return. The power disruptions not only hampered daily activities but also reduced the incomes of people in many professions.

Many consumers have therefore started asking: if this is the situation before the storm and rain season has even properly begun, what will happen in the days ahead?

Six state-owned distribution companies supply electricity across the country. They currently have 49.7 million customers. Of these, about 38 million customers are under the Rural Electrification Board (REB). The REB reaches these vast numbers of customers through 80 rural electric cooperatives (Palli Bidyut Samities). During the Eid holiday, it was the customers of these rural cooperatives who suffered the most.

Swapan Banik, Chief Engineer (Operations and Planning) of the REB, told Agamir Somoy: "Since electricity demand was lower, there was no load-shedding during Eid. However, due to storms and rain, power lines were damaged, causing about 70 percent of the cooperative's customers to experience outages. Because of the natural disaster, power supply was cut off in various areas starting two days before Eid. Supply dropped so severely that it became difficult to even maintain the distribution system."

He said that employees' Eid leave was canceled to handle the situation. "Through their round-the-clock efforts, lines in various areas were repaired and power supply was gradually restored. The power supply situation normalized last Saturday. There are no problems currently."

One issue that REB officials have identified as a cause of this crisis is that distribution lines in remote areas pass through trees and vegetation. They say that when trees lean on or branches fall onto the main power lines, electricity is disrupted. Identifying such problems relies on complaints from local people. If no one reports it, it takes a long time to detect. On both sides of distribution lines, vegetation must be kept clear for up to 10 feet. Each cooperative has a separate allocation of 8 to 10 million taka per year for clearing vegetation three times annually. However, this clearing is not done regularly, and sometimes local resistance is encountered.
On the other hand, there are allegations against the organization regarding the use of low-quality poles, wires, and various electrical equipment. Consumers complain that for these reasons, even a minor storm causes poles to break, wires to snap, and other components to be damaged.

However, Swapan Banik denied these allegations. He said, "These are not true. People say all sorts of things."

The country's electricity generation capacity is currently about 29,000 megawatts. Of this, on May 20, the highest generation in the country's history was recorded at 17,200 megawatts. However, most of the time, if demand exceeds 15,000 megawatts, load-shedding becomes necessary.

On Monday, the first day of the Eid holiday, electricity demand was between 10,500 and 11,000 megawatts. At one point, it dropped to 5,500 megawatts. The demand fell mainly due to the Eid holiday—with offices, courts, factories, and businesses closed—as well as rain. Nevertheless, storms caused power outages in various districts.

On May 26, due to successive storms and thunderstorms across different regions of the country, the power distribution network faced major disruptions. The damage was particularly severe in the central region, northern region, coastal areas, and southern districts. In many areas, after lines were repaired once, another storm would damage them again.

In various villages of Madaripur, there was no electricity for five consecutive days. This made daily life unbearable for residents.

In Rajarchar, Char Hogolpatia, Hogolpatia, Madra, Alinagar, Kolchuri, and many surrounding areas, power supply was cut off from two days before Eid. Supply was gradually restored only on Sunday evening.

Rubel Faraji, a resident of Rajarchar area, said, "There was no electricity for five days. When I called the office, no one answered. A lot of the sacrificial meat went to waste. I couldn't even give any to relatives. Who will take responsibility for this suffering?"

In several villages of Faridganj Upazila in Chandpur, power supply was cut off from the day before Eid-ul-Adha through Eid day itself. As a result, many people did not sacrifice their animals on the scheduled day. They performed the sacrifice the next day when electricity returned.

Due to nor'westers (Kalbaishakhi) and adverse weather, power lines were extensively damaged in various areas of the upazila. Only 40 percent of the upazila had electricity. Because of the prolonged outages, many people postponed their sacrifices, considering the lack of refrigeration and storage facilities.

In Koyra, a coastal upazila of Khulna, although there is no shortage of electricity, supply is regularly cut for seven to eight hours. Even a little wind or rain causes transmission line faults, leading to hours-long outages. Besides public suffering, negative impacts are being seen on healthcare, business, education, and agriculture. Public frustration has reached its peak as daily life is disrupted.

Dr. Rezaul Karim, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer in Koyra, said, "Even in the hospital, we are not getting uninterrupted electricity. Often there is no power for 8-10 consecutive hours. As a result, the UPS batteries don't get a chance to charge and provide backup."

However, Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman Khan, Deputy General Manager of Khulna Palli Bidyut Samity, claimed that there is currently no load-shedding in Koyra.

The report was prepared with information assistance from the relevant district and upazila representatives of Agamir Somoy.