Energy & Power

Column
Reverse Swing

Bangladesh in great need of power
Farid Hossain

Dhaka is no match to New York or even Bangkok. But our capital city has been catching up with the two cities in at least one respect. It almost never sleeps, nearly like the two other cities of glitters, night clubs and taxies.

Thirsty for a cup of coffee at midnight? Or even long after that? Need a rickshaw for a nightlong journey? Want a khili of pan or a packet of cigarette after a midnight wedding party? No problem. Venture out on the streets and you get what you want.

In that respect Dhaka has gradually been developing into a city of hyper activity. Few cities in the world are as vibrant as Dhaka. It residents work late into the night and get up early to rush to work. All these hyper activity is mainly for survival.

Despite its sparkling 5-star hotels, air conditioned cars, glittering restaurants serving mouth-watering food, late night coffee parlors Dhaka is still a city of the poor.

For nearly one third of its 10 million residents live in slums and another big chunk of the population falls in the category of lower middle class.

The poor people work hard and extra to earn an additional income. That's one of the main reasons why you see thousands of pavement hawkers. That's also one of the reasons why we see Dhaka's shops and many private offices are open even during odd hours.

That was until Sunday, 25th of February. Since that day shopping malls and most shops in the capital _ also in other towns across the country _ are to close by 7 p.m. every day.

The measure, the caretaker government, hopes will save at least 100 MW of power in the capital city alone and another 300 MW in rest of the country.

Saving at least 400 MW electricity in a country with chronic power shortage is no small achievement. That's the message the caretaker government intends to spread across the country.

It's too early to comment about the merit or otherwise of the move. If
it succeeds then it's a good move. A failure will spawn criticism.

However, a big question remains to be answered. How do we measure the impact of the blackout?

Shopping is an economic activity. It generates revenue. Shoppers spend. Sellers earn. Shopping activity provides a measure of economic growth.

The more people a country has with wealth and money the more will be the economic activity there. Curtailing that kind of economic activity may prove counter productive. So, it will be wise to keep the restrictions on shops short term.

There are other factors that need to be taken into serious consideration. We all know Dhaka remains overcrowded and choked with traffic during the evening rush hour, when most offices close. Thousands of more commuters _ owners and workers at the shops _ are now on the streets at the same time adding extra pressure on the crumbling traffic network.

Since the day the new timing for the shops was introduced Dhaka's evening rush hour has been a picture of jungle. Thousands of people have thronged at bus stops, waiting to catch a bus. Many have risked their lives by hanging out from the doors of packed buses.

Others, including women, have simply chosen to walk through the darkened streets risking to be attacked by muggers.

Since 2/25 Dhaka is a changed city. More so after 7 p.m. It looks like a muffasil town rather than a metropolitan city. Shops are shuttered, streets are dark and public transportation is overburdened.

There is another aspect to this new thing. Most of the employees are at a loss about the early leave from work. Their homes _ slums or slum-like huts _ are really not ready to welcome them back home so early.

There families have been so used to see them return home late in the night. So, they need adjustment to the news situation. Even if it is for three months. For the measure, the government says, will last three months only. Shoppers also need adjustment to the early closure of the shops.

Most Dhaka residents, I guess, are used to shopping in the evening. To many shopping is an excuse to be out on the streets. In that sense it offers a chance for recreation.

All these must change. It's time to rearrange our lifestyle. Meanwhile,
the power shortage persists. So is the outage.