Sylhet Bureau :
Severe heat, erratic load shedding, and low voltage, during the last couple of days have been causing untold sufferings to people in Sylhet of the district.
Poultry farmer Jabed Ahmed said that erratic power supply, unprecedented load shedding and severe heat has left atleast one lakh poultry birds in different poultry farms dead on Saterday in Sylhet.
About 200 deep and shallow tube wells, 50 rice mills and about 500 poultry farms in Sylhet Sadar Upazila are using power. Besides these, power is also used by small industries, hospital, clinics and in recharging a large number of battery driven easy bikes.
Boro farmers and HSC candidates in Sylhet Upazila are the worst sufferers as it is peak time to plant boro seedlings while the HSC examinations are ongoing.
Shahid Uddin of village Shibbari said that due to load shedding he is unable to irrigate the land and his boro farming has been perched.
He lamented that though the government assured of uninterrupted power in 2014, load shedding is extreme this year and he is very disappointed. Load shedding will hamper food production during the on going boro-season, he said.
Meanwhile, surgical, labor and other operations are being hampered at hospitals in the area due to frequent power cuts.
Romzan Ali, executive engineer of distribution and sales of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) said that the demand of power in Sylhet is about 15 to 20 MW per day, but they are getting only 2 to 3 MW during the peak hours. The demand for power supply increases due to heat wave but the supply is decreasing. As a result, people are facing huge load shedding which is causing sufferings.
Dhaka-Sylhet highway blocked for
uninterrupted power supply
Local people on Saturday staged protests blocking the Dhaka-Sylhet highway at Goalabazar in Sylhet for uninterrupted power supply in the area.
Residents of Goalabazar area at Osmani Nagar upazila in Sylhet started protests on the highway at about 1:30pm against frequent power cuts in the area amid scorching summer heat.
Didar Ali, general secretary of the upazila unit Juba League, youth fron of the ruling Awami League, said that residents of several villages joined the protests as they had been suffering from frequent power cuts both in day and night for several days amid the scorching summer heat.
Mentioning hundreds of vehicles were stranded at both ends of the highway for more than an hour, he said that the protesters chanted slogans against the power authorities and claimed that they would not withdraw the blockade until their demand was met.
Osmani Nagar police officer-in-charge Shahid Ullah and said that they reached the spot immediately.
‘We contacted with the power department officials and persuaded the protesters to withdraw the blockade at about 2:30pm after the power distribution officials assured them of uninterrupted power supply,’ the police officer said.
Meanwhile, Since the beginning of summer season, the people of Sylhet city are suffering from load-shedding.
There is no electricity at different parts of the city. Supply-water is not available because there is no electricity to run the water pumps. So, the city dwellers are suffering due to electricity crisis as well as water shortage in this hot summer.
According to the Sylhet Meteorological Office, the highest temperature recorded on Friday was 37.5 degrees Celsius and minimum 27.4 degrees Celsius.
Neglecting the rules, the use of AC is increasing in the city creating additional pressure on electricity. Due to the load-shedding, peoples are suffering from drinking water crisis which also affecting bathing, household work and many other activities.
Although electricity production capacity increased in the country, the distribution system was not developed. As a result, people are not getting the full benefits of electricity production. Electricity cannot be supplied at customer level due to weakness and lack of upgrading of sub-stations.
The number of electric transformers going out of order is increasing day by day. On average, 2,000 transformers are burnt or damaged every month.
When electricity demand increases in the hot season, substation and transformers are overloaded receiving more power at the transmission and distribution stage.
Severe heat, erratic load shedding, and low voltage, during the last couple of days have been causing untold sufferings to people in Sylhet of the district.
Poultry farmer Jabed Ahmed said that erratic power supply, unprecedented load shedding and severe heat has left atleast one lakh poultry birds in different poultry farms dead on Saterday in Sylhet.
About 200 deep and shallow tube wells, 50 rice mills and about 500 poultry farms in Sylhet Sadar Upazila are using power. Besides these, power is also used by small industries, hospital, clinics and in recharging a large number of battery driven easy bikes.
Boro farmers and HSC candidates in Sylhet Upazila are the worst sufferers as it is peak time to plant boro seedlings while the HSC examinations are ongoing.
Shahid Uddin of village Shibbari said that due to load shedding he is unable to irrigate the land and his boro farming has been perched.
He lamented that though the government assured of uninterrupted power in 2014, load shedding is extreme this year and he is very disappointed. Load shedding will hamper food production during the on going boro-season, he said.
Meanwhile, surgical, labor and other operations are being hampered at hospitals in the area due to frequent power cuts.
Romzan Ali, executive engineer of distribution and sales of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) said that the demand of power in Sylhet is about 15 to 20 MW per day, but they are getting only 2 to 3 MW during the peak hours. The demand for power supply increases due to heat wave but the supply is decreasing. As a result, people are facing huge load shedding which is causing sufferings.
Dhaka-Sylhet highway blocked for
uninterrupted power supply
Local people on Saturday staged protests blocking the Dhaka-Sylhet highway at Goalabazar in Sylhet for uninterrupted power supply in the area.
Residents of Goalabazar area at Osmani Nagar upazila in Sylhet started protests on the highway at about 1:30pm against frequent power cuts in the area amid scorching summer heat.
Didar Ali, general secretary of the upazila unit Juba League, youth fron of the ruling Awami League, said that residents of several villages joined the protests as they had been suffering from frequent power cuts both in day and night for several days amid the scorching summer heat.
Mentioning hundreds of vehicles were stranded at both ends of the highway for more than an hour, he said that the protesters chanted slogans against the power authorities and claimed that they would not withdraw the blockade until their demand was met.
Osmani Nagar police officer-in-charge Shahid Ullah and said that they reached the spot immediately.
‘We contacted with the power department officials and persuaded the protesters to withdraw the blockade at about 2:30pm after the power distribution officials assured them of uninterrupted power supply,’ the police officer said.
Meanwhile, Since the beginning of summer season, the people of Sylhet city are suffering from load-shedding.
There is no electricity at different parts of the city. Supply-water is not available because there is no electricity to run the water pumps. So, the city dwellers are suffering due to electricity crisis as well as water shortage in this hot summer.
According to the Sylhet Meteorological Office, the highest temperature recorded on Friday was 37.5 degrees Celsius and minimum 27.4 degrees Celsius.
Neglecting the rules, the use of AC is increasing in the city creating additional pressure on electricity. Due to the load-shedding, peoples are suffering from drinking water crisis which also affecting bathing, household work and many other activities.
Although electricity production capacity increased in the country, the distribution system was not developed. As a result, people are not getting the full benefits of electricity production. Electricity cannot be supplied at customer level due to weakness and lack of upgrading of sub-stations.
The number of electric transformers going out of order is increasing day by day. On average, 2,000 transformers are burnt or damaged every month.
When electricity demand increases in the hot season, substation and transformers are overloaded receiving more power at the transmission and distribution stage.
