Power shortages cripple Patuakhali fishing industry as ice scarcity grounds hundreds of trawlers
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KALAPARA, PATUAKHALI — Severe power shortages in Patuakhali district have crippled the local fishing industry, leaving thousands of fishers unable to head to the Bay of Bengal due to a critical scarcity of ice. Frequent load-shedding has forced ice manufacturing plants to cut production by approximately 70 percent, triggering an economic crisis for the region’s fishing community.
Naser Khan, a 40-year-old fisherman, is among those currently sidelined at the Andharmanik River ghat. Khan noted that his trawler, which typically carries a crew of 15, requires 120 cans of ice for a four-day expedition. However, with local ice plants unable to keep up with demand, prices have doubled from 150 taka to 300 taka per can, and even then, supply remains unavailable.
The impact on local maritime activity is stark. Officials from the Mahipur and Alipur fish landing stations report that while an average of 2,500 to 3,000 fishers previously departed for the Bay of Bengal daily, that number has plummeted to between 700 and 800. Data indicates that more than 70 percent of the local fishing fleet is currently grounded.
According to regional power authorities, the district faces a daily deficit of 45 megawatts, with only 85 megawatts supplied against a demand of 130 megawatts. This shortfall has forced local ice factories to operate under an inconsistent schedule, receiving electricity for only two hours at a time. Plant owners explain that ice production requires 12 hours of continuous power; the intermittent supply breaks the freezing cycle and renders previous cooling efforts ineffective.
There are 36 ice plants situated along the Andharmanik River in the Kalapara Upazila, which collectively employ approximately 500 day laborers. Suman Das, General Secretary of the Mahipur Fish Landing Station and Wholesale Owners Association, stated that the daily output of these plants has fallen to roughly one-third of the required 50,000 to 60,000 cans needed for the industry. Consequently, the number of trawlers heading to sea has dropped from a peak of 200 per day to as few as 30 on some days.
The ripple effects of the power crisis extend to dock workers, such as 45-year-old Mahasin Mia, who relies on daily wages for transporting ice. With many of the approximately 1,500 fishing trawlers docked indefinitely, many laborers face total income loss. Industry leaders warn that if the disruption continues, the economic damage will threaten the livelihoods of nearly 100,000 people, including trawler owners, wholesalers, and fish traders, potentially impacting the broader national economy.
In response to the growing crisis, Mohammad Abul Kashem, General Manager of the Patuakhali Palli Bidyut Samity, stated that the department has increased supply capacity following requests from plant owners. He assured that efforts are underway to stabilize power delivery to ensure the plants can resume normal operations.
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