THE prolonged power outages sweeping across rural areas are a stark reminder of the deep inequalities embedded in the electricity distribution system. Villages now reportedly receive electricity for only six to 10 hours a day. This raises serious questions about fairness, governance and development priorities as urban centres consume vast amounts of power for air conditioning, decorative lighting and other non-essential purposes while villages consume electricity largely for basic needs. The current power crisis has , as New Age reported on June 18, by a combination of factors, including fuel shortage, rising demand during the summer heatwave and the unexpected shutdown of a unit at the Rampal power plant. While these factors explain the supply deficit, they do not justify the disproportionate burden inflicted on rural communities. If power shortage is unavoidable, the hardship should be shared more equitably. The suffering in rural areas is severe and multidimensional. Farmers struggle to irrigate crops, poultry producers report losses because of excessive heat and small businesses incur higher costs as they rely on generators to stay operational. For ordinary villagers, prolonged outages mean sleepless nights, disrupted household activities and increased health risks.
An analysis of official power consumption data by the Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development shows a stark disparity. Per capita electricity consumption in urban areas stands at 870 units annually compared with only 213 units in rural areas. Despite consuming far less electricity, rural people appear to be enduring the longest outages. Such an imbalance undermines rural development, weakens economic productivity and fuels perceptions of discrimination. The authorities say that they have instructed officials to ensure equitable power distribution. However, reports from Barishal, Rajshahi, Natore and other districts suggest a significant gap between policy and practice. The country cannot achieve balanced and inclusive development while millions of rural citizens remain trapped in darkness. While fair and balanced power distribution can ease immediate suffering, the authorities also need to assess the trajectory of the power sector, whose development appears disturbingly lopsided. On the one hand, the country has an installed power generation capacity of 29,593MW; on the other, it cannot generate even half of that amount. This irrational overcapacity has not benefited the people and has, instead, transferred public money into private pockets through capacity payments. An overreliance on fossil fuels has also burdened the country financially and environmentally.
While the authorities must urgently review power outage schedules and ensure that shortages are distributed fairly across all regions and consumer groups, they must also address the deeper structural weaknesses in the energy sector and adopt a comprehensive long-term strategy for sustainable energy sector reforms and renewable energy and domestic resources must become central pillars of that strategy.
