Sizzling heat and frequent loadshedding are making life miserable for most residents of Dhaka, but those living in the capital's slums are suffering more than most.
Incidents of power outages in slum areas started increasing after the shutdown of the first unit at Payra Thermal Power Plant on May 25. The situation has worsened from the beginning of June, with the complete shutdown of the power plant.
On Tuesday, this correspondent visited Mohakhali Korail Slum's Beltala, Amtala, Bou Bazar Slum, Mosa Slum, Ershad Nagar Slum and Jamai Bazar and spoke with more than 70 slum dwellers. They include housewives, rickshaw pullers, van drivers, garment workers and petty traders.
One of the residents said: "Loadshedding is always high in summer. But for the last one week, it has been going on 7-8 times a day. The situation is bad during the day, but also at night. Due to loadshedding, there is a shortage of clean drinking water. Children and old people are getting sick due to the excessive heat wave."
Koli Begum, a resident of the Bou Bazar cluster of Korail slum, said: "I have been in the area for four months. There was not so much loadshedding initially. It has increased over the past three days. Sometimes there is electricity for one hour, and then two hours without. The situation is worse at night. I heard that the government could not pay the bills on time and that's why there is so much loadshedding."
At 1:30pm, there were two power cuts in 20 minutes while this reporter was in the Bou Bazar area. Md Bablu, the owner of Sifa Sifat Electronics in the Bou Bazar area, said: "The power cuts are more frequent in the middle of the night. More than loadshedding, it seems as if the voltage is lower."
After walking for a few minutes from Bou Bazar main road and going through the inside market road, electricity was seen in the Jamai Bazar area, but it lasted only for five minutes.
Palm trader Ummed Ali said: "The electricity keeps going all day. There are three types of power transmission lines. When one goes there is another, but there is only one line from house to house. It is a very bad situation here."
He added that the lack of power was making it difficult to get clean drinking water.
A long line of people queuing up for drinking water was seen in the Mosa slum area of Mosharaf Bazar.
Shanta Begum, who was standing with her six-month-old son Salman, said: “As there is no water in the house all day, cooking and bathing have stopped. The residents of the Mosa slum area are suffering due to the non-arrival of water for the last two days.
"There is no water in the house all day today. There is no electricity, no water, no gas. My baby boy is also getting sick in the heat and suffering from diarrhoea for a week. There is no opportunity to boil a little water and feed him.”
Monira Begum said: "I have been standing (in line for water) since 5pm and at 7:30pm there is still no news of water coming. I don't even know when it will come."
On investigation, it was found that the only pump used to get water to the Mosharaf market area was damaged two days ago due to excessive loadshedding. Some people have been bringing water from the mosque of T&T Colony to solve the water crisis.
Twelve-year-old Matin said: "There is not even a drop of water at home. If we don't get water now, I won't get drinking water for the whole day tomorrow."
The situation is the same in the Beltoli area.
Van driver Rashid Mia, a resident of the Beltoli area, said he has to support a family of six. He himself has been suffering from fever for a week.
"I don't have strength in my body, but what can I do? I need money. We can't cook without power, so I have to go out. There is no peace at home, just loadshedding and loadshedding."
Garment worker Nurjahan said: "The houses here are so close to each other that the wind does not pass through easily. No one knows when we will get relief from the constant load shedding except the Most Merciful."
How long will it continue?
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the ongoing electricity crisis will ease within 10-15 days as more electricity will be added to the national grid during the period.
"We're compelled to do loadshedding… I know people are suffering. I can realize the sufferings of people. We are trying our best. Some 500MW more electricity will be added to the national grid within the next one or two days. More electricity will be added further within 10-15 days. Then there'll be no suffering," she said.
On the other hand, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said that the authorities are trying to stabilize the electricity situation by June 25.
According to government sources, the 1,320MW Payra thermal power plant may resume operations in the third week of June since a new LC for the import of coal has been processed.
AM Khurshedul Alam, managing director of Bangladesh-China Power Company Limited (BCPCL), said coal will arrive at the plant within three weeks.
Power Development Board ( PDB) Public Relations Officer (PRO) Shamim Hasan said: "Last week, there was 2,000MW of loadshedding. We fear it will cross 2,100MW this week. The demand is increasing constantly. The demand is close to 15,000MW, but now it is difficult to produce even 13,000MW.”
He said efforts were being made to restart the gas, coal and diesel power plants, but the process is delayed due to the ongoing dollar crisis. These fuels need to be imported.
