Widespread Power Outages Disrupt Daily Life Across Dhaka Amid Acute Gas Shortages
Photo Collected
DHAKA — Residents across several areas of the Bangladeshi capital experienced prolonged power outages on Wednesday night, as a deepening national energy crisis continues to disrupt daily life.
Reports of blackouts spanning one to two hours emerged late Wednesday, leaving citizens to endure high humidity and stifling heat without electricity. Residents from neighborhoods including Bashundhara Residential Area, parts of Eskaton Garden, Kazipara, Mouchak, Karwan Bazar, Panthapath, West Rajabazar, Lalmatia, and the Krishi Market area of Mohammadpur reported significant service interruptions between 9:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.
Local accounts underscored the severity of the situation. Anika Tasnim, a resident of Bashundhara, stated that she had never experienced such extended outages in her area. She expressed frustration regarding the inconsistency of the service, noting that power bills have doubled in recent months despite the worsening reliability. Similarly, Kazipara resident and journalist Rahat Ahmed described the outage as the most severe he has witnessed in three years, noting that the combination of extreme heat and mosquito infestations made sleeping nearly impossible.
While some areas, such as sections of Mirpur-11 and the Journalists’ Plot, reported maintaining stable electricity until late into the night, the broader capital remained significantly affected.
The outages are a direct consequence of a nationwide decline in electricity generation fueled by a critical shortage of natural gas. According to data from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and Power Grid Bangladesh PLC, the country has been grappling with peak daily load shedding exceeding 3,000 megawatts for several days. On Wednesday, the peak deficit reached 3,382 megawatts, following a high of 3,757 megawatts recorded on Monday.
The supply gap is exacerbated by severe weather conditions in the Bay of Bengal, which have hampered operations at the Summit Group’s floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. Current data shows the national gas supply at 2.03 billion cubic feet per day against a demand of 3.8 billion cubic feet, with the terminal’s contribution dropping to below 100 million cubic feet.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid stated on Wednesday that the administration is making every effort to mitigate the crisis. He acknowledged that the gas supply shortfall is directly hindering power plant operations and said the government is working to normalize the energy situation as quickly as possible.
0%
0%
0%
0%
