With the sweltering summer heat back just when it usually starts to decline, frequent power cuts have wrecked havoc on normal life, as it triggered a domino effect on water supply.
Although the government claims improvement of overall power situation, the city dwellers are experiencing repeated load shedding lashing with full weight for the last few days.
On top of the load shedding at every alternative hour, the nagging traffic nuisance amid scorching heat, humidity and lack of water has made the life in the capital utterly miserable.
Citizens complain that the level of load shedding has significantly increased in the last two days.
“Amid this blistering heat life has turned into a complete mess without power and water. I couldn’t sleep for the last four-five days, as power went off at midnight,” said Mahmud Khayer of Jatrabari.
Met officials say the monsoon is now weak and the humidity is high which is the reason behind the heat temperature. In addition, it did not rain for a few days.
With the mercury hovering around 35 degrees Celsius, the residents of the capital said they are experiencing power cuts eight times a day, each lasting for at least an hour affecting the water supply badly.
The official concerned came up with the same old cliché blaming increased consumption due to heat and poor gas supply to power plants for which around 500 megawatt of power could not be generated.
“Increased use of cooling devices at houses, offices and other establishments is also a reason behind the power shortfall,” said an official of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
The official load shedding yesterday was around 1,180MW. About 4,014 MW of power was generated in peak hours in the country yesterday against the official demand of 5,350MW. However, the unofficial demand is around 6,000MW. The electricity generation was over 4,100MW four to five days ago, said the officials concerned.
According to Managing Director of Dhaka Power Distribution Company Abdus Sobhan, a power shortfall of 1,300MW in Dhaka Zone forces the company to distribute load shedding in all city areas every hour.
Against the backdrop, the government yesterday claimed that the country’s overall power situation is improving. “The present power situation is better than the past,” Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting at the secretariat.
The trickle-down effect of the power outages is hampering production in factories as well as office works. Mechanical engineering shops, laundry, motor workshops, medial clinics, computer centres and CNG refuelling stations are the worst victims.
According to the Met office, Dhaka saw 35.7 degrees Celsius yesterday while the highest temperature of the country was recorded in Jessore, 37.6 degrees Celsius.
The officials say the mercury would come down within a day or two, as there is a chance of slight raining in some parts of the country.
