Loadshedding surges in 3 upazilas of Narayanganj

Severe power shortages have thrown life into disarray across Araihazar, Rupganj and Sonargaon upazilas of Narayanganj, where prolonged load shedding is disrupting both industrial and residential activities.
In many areas, electricity is unavailable for more than six hours at a stretch, while in others, outages drag on for most of the day. Rupganj upazila, which houses about 2,500 factories, has been particularly hard-hit. Frequent load shedding is crippling industrial production, with factory owners struggling to keep operations running on generators amid gas shortages and soaring diesel prices.
“Power goes out at least 15 to 20 times a day,” said Sakhawat Hossain, manager of Junayet Fashion Garments in Golakandail Union. “Our factory is dependent on electricity, and production losses are mounting.”
Business owners fear that if the crisis persists, they will face difficulties paying workers’ salaries and allowances. Residential areas in Rupganj are also in dire straits, with outages lasting nearly 18 hours a day. Locals complain of unbearable heat, water shortages due to inoperative pumps, and even artificial waterlogging as stagnant water fails to drain from agricultural fields.
The situation in Araihazar is reportedly the worst. For the past week, the upazila has been receiving less than six hours of electricity a day following the breakdown of more than half the equipment at the Bhulta grid. As a result, production in many factories has come to a standstill, while household electronics are being damaged. Residents say children and the elderly are falling ill due to the heat.
Sonargaon is facing a similar situation, with areas including Mograpara, Pirojpur, Kanchpur and Sadipur experiencing daily outages. Factory owners there also reported frequent damage to machinery caused by power disruptions.
Doctors have warned that the ongoing electricity crisis, combined with the sweltering heat, is raising risks of heatstroke, diarrhea, and waterborne diseases, particularly among children and the elderly.
Engineer Noor Mohammad, general manager of Palli Bidyut Samity-2, admitted the crisis stems from transformer failures in the grid as well as shortages in the national supply. “We are currently unable to distribute electricity according to demand,” he said.
“Our daily electricity demand is 200 megawatts, but at present we are receiving only 90–95 megawatts,” said TM Mejbahuddin, deputy general manager of the Araihazar Zonal Office, Palli Bidyut Samity-2. “Repair work is underway, and hopefully the problem will be resolved in a day or two.”