Severe load-shedding adds to woes in scorching heat

The intensifying heatwave has prompted authorities concerned to extend the heat alert for the seventh time yesterday while the country grapples with scorching temperatures and adding to the woes is the continued load shedding across the nation.

So far, the adverse impact of the heatwave has already claimed the lives of at least 35 people who reportedly died due to heatstroke. Yesterday's inclusion to the toll is two teachers in Chattogram and Jashore. Moreover, at least 17 students of a secondary school in Noakhali's Hatiya upazila fell ill due to extreme heat. 

According to the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), the only state agency for transmission of electricity from power stations to the national grid, the electricity demand across the country was 15,350MW at 12pm yesterday. 

However, electricity generation stood at 13,398MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,864MW.

But, the government power distribution companies said there was over 2,000MW of load shedding in the past few days to manage the demand-supply gap.

According to sources from Rural Electrification Board (REB), who are supplying electricity to more than 80% of the country's rural areas, load shedding surpassed 2,800MW at 3pm yesterday as only 6,500MW could be supplied against the demand of 9,312MW. 

"Our area is now without electricity for 15 to 17 hours and it is causing damage to crops on irrigated lands."

Bazlur Rashid A resident of Sarishabari upazila of Jamalpur

Regions such as Chattogram, Mymensingh, and Cumilla experienced load shedding rates exceeding 40% with Chattogram facing the highest, 54%.

People concerned with the sector have raised concerns about the accuracy of PGCB and National Load Dispatch Center's (NLDC) daily reports on load shedding, suggesting that the actual shortfall exceeds reported figures. 

They said that the actual daily electricity shortage across the country is more than 2,000MW, but official data shows a little more than 1,000MW. They also said that the shortfall in electricity is being met through load shedding in various rural areas of the country.

A member of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) distribution wing told TBS, on condition of anonymity, "The reported power demand is an estimated figure but in reality the actual load shedding is more."

A director of REB, on condition of anonymity, told TBS, "We are not receiving electricity as per the demand in our distribution area due to which we are forced to perform load shedding even in this unbearable heat. In rural areas, load shedding sometimes reaches 10 to 12 hours."

REB's demand across the country is usually a little less than 9,000MW, but it regularly receives only 7,000MW. 

In the last 10-12 days, the highest deficit was in the Mymensingh zone. People in Mymensingh and Jamalpur rural areas did not get electricity for more than 10 to 12 hours last Friday and Saturday, though the demand for electricity is much less during weekends.

Tanjila Milli of Muktagacha in Mymensingh said, "People in our village are getting electricity for seven to eight hours at most in a day. Even though we called the Rural Electricity Complaint Center several times, the officials did not receive it.

"The load shedding is becoming very difficult for the elderly and children this summer," she added.

Bazlur Rashid, from Sarishabari upazila of Jamalpur, told TBS, "Our area is now without electricity for 15 to 17 hours and it is causing damage to crops on irrigated lands. 

"Moreover, people are getting sick due to lack of electricity in this extreme heat. This has also increased the pressure of patients in hospitals."

Meanwhile, Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) and Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO) said that there is no shortage of electricity in the capital. They said that power outages are happening for a short time in some areas due to technical faults.

Montasir Mahmud, a resident of Dhaka, expressed his anger on social media and said, "In the last two hours, the electricity went out four times. Each time, the power came back for a maximum of 5 minutes. How will we survive?"

Mohammad Hossain, director general of Power Cell, a regulatory agency under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, told The Business Standard, "This year, there is a plan to produce more than 16,000MW of power as per the plans of the Power Division, and producing is ongoing accordingly. Since the demand for electricity has increased by 1,000MW this year, compared to last year, I cannot confirm that load shedding has decreased compared to last year. So, a chance of up to 500 to 1500MW load shedding remains.

Meanwhile, at least 35 people have died from heatstroke in different parts of the country over the past six days, according to TBS analysis of multiple media reports.

The ongoing heat flow will continue till 2 May, except for Sylhet division, and is not expected to reduce much, said meteorologists.

Meteorologist Mostofa Kamal Palash, a PhD researcher on meteorology and climate at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, told TBS, "Except for the Sylhet region, this temperature will continue over Bangladesh and India's West Bengal until 2 May. Later, between 3-8 May, there is a possibility of rain in the country."