LOAD-SHEDDING IS A HEADACHE, BUT GOVT IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK

In tropical Bangladesh, the summer means plenty of juicy fruits from delicious mangoes to nutritious jack fruits, better known as the poor man's favorite.

- Farid Hossain

With the summer season setting in amid kalboishakhis (nor'westers), Bangladesh has other worries too. Load-shedding, caused by a short supply of electricity against higher demand, is a major headache for the authorities. The consumption of electricity at homes, offices, and factories increases manifold as fans and air conditioners go on almost 24-hour operations, drawing an increased amount. The government has other obligations too; a steady supply of power to irrigation pumps and industries. Good that irrigation does not need electricity right now, as the harvesting of paddy crops is going on. With the short supply of gas, the government aims to boost power generation by using coal and imported LNG. The focus has rightly been on keeping the load-shedding at a tolerable level.

Energy Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan is someone who does not mince words in regard to issues his ministry faces. He has been candid in acknowledging that some extent of power outage is “inevitable” during the summer months, but the government will manage it in a way that it remains at a tolerable level.