People, businesses in Khulna struck by load shedding amid heatwave

Khulna, the gateway to the Sundarbans, is feeling the burn. 

According to the Meteorological Department, on 16 April Khulna recorded its highest temperature of 41.3 degree Celsius.

On Wednesday, the temperature fell, touching 38.6 degree Celsius. There was, however, no respite from the heat as load shedding has only ramped up in recent days. 

With electric fans and air conditioners in full swing, electricity demand has soared, leading to blackouts in different areas.

Syed Ali lives in Hafiz Nagar area of Khulna city. He said electricity went off at least eight times. The duration of each blackout ranged from 30 minutes to an hour. 

"We can't stay outdoors for too long as it is hot. At the same time, the load shedding also makes it difficult to stay at home."

Ziaur Rahman, a resident of Iqbal Nagar in the city, said, "Khulna has made a record in temperature and also in loadshedding. Now I'm forced to say when we don't have blackouts as opposed to when we have blackouts."

ABM Badruddoza Khan, Public Relations Officer of the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) said, "The demand forecast today is 14,000 megawatts and 16,000 megawatts in the evening. However, due to the shutdown of some power plants, sufficient power supply is not possible. So there is load shedding in some areas."

He said, "On the night of 18 April, the maximum power generation was 15,626 megawatts [MW]. However, the demand is 16,000-17,000, resulting in power cuts." 

The West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL) is responsible for power distribution in Khulna city.

According to its data, the electricity demand in Khulna city today was 177MW. Out of this, 152 MW has been supplied.

Chief Engineer of WZPDLC Mostafizur Rahman said, "The demand for electricity in the entire zone was 696MW at noon. Against this, 601 MW has been supplied and load shedding is 95 MW.

The Palli Bidyut Samiti also distributes electricity to the upazilas of Khulna. 

Its general manager, Zillur Rahman, said, the load sheddings are due to electricity demand hike.

"Even today I know that I will get less electricity by about 8 to 10 MW, so there will be loadshedding." 

He said this was the same situation in other districts of the division as well.

Experts hoped that rainfall would lead to an ease in electricity demand.

Amirul Azad, senior meteorological officer of the Khulna office of the Meteorological Department, said the temperature has been above 40 degrees Celsius in every district of Khulna region for the past one week. Besides, the feeling of discomfort is increasing as the weather is dry.

Khulna Civil Surgeon Sujat Ahmed advised to be careful to avoid health risks in this situation. 

"Go out when you have to. Drink plenty of water. This will reduce the risk of heat stroke."

Apart from people, businesses and farming too are suffering.

Export-oriented fisheries sector at risk

Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) Director S. Humayun Kabir said, "Fish or prawns should be stored at the right temperature as soon as they rise above the water. Those are perishable. We export frozen shrimp. So we need electricity in every case for shrimp processing. Basically, from shrimp production to export, electricity is needed at every level."

He also said they had to maintain oxygen levels in the enclosures, for which electricity was also needed.

"If there is a blackout, the production of the field decreases, sometimes all the fish die. Marginal farmers are affected as a result."

He said a factory required 18 hours of uninterrupted electricity to ensure enough ice for the frozen shrimp.

According to the BFFEA director, factories covered by rural electricity are not getting power for about 12 to 16 hours. Besides, all those covered by the WZPDCL are not getting electricity for 7 to 8 hours.

"Due to which the farmers are suffering, the suppliers are suffering, the owners of the fish processing factories are suffering, the quality of the shrimp is also getting damaged. When we send these shrimp to foreign markets, our country's reputation will be tarnished.

"Now there is load shedding as a result of which generators have to be used in the factories to store ice. This way, the price of ice increased from Tk100 rupees to close to Tk1,000 rupees. Many farmers give less ice to the fish and the quality is hampered."

There are a total of 105 frozen food processing factories in Bangladesh. 

Meanwhile, farmers too are finding the loadshedding hard to escape.

According to the Agriculture Department, watermelon has been cultivated in 12,000 hectares of land in Khulna this season. The field watermelons are already being sold.

Farmer Narendra Mandal of Kaulasganj area said, "The watermelons of my field are not yet suitable for sale. It can be sold after another 10 days of maintenance."

He said, "Now, to grow watermelon, a lot of irrigation is required. It can increase the weight of the fruit up to 1 to 2 kg daily. Watermelon grows because of water. However, loadshedding has taken place for eight hours during the day. Because I irrigate using an electric pump, the cost of using a diesel engine goes up a lot."