Chattogram Power Deficit Hits 200 MW; Water Crisis Worsens

A severe electricity crisis has gripped Chattogram, with the daily deficit exceeding 200 MW. As temperatures soar, residents in the city and surrounding upazilas are facing relentless load shedding, leading to a secondary crisis: a shortage of WASA water supply.

Out of 28 power plants in the region six are currently shut down due to a critical fuel and gas shortage. Key units at the Kaptai Hydropower Plant and both units of the Raozan power plant are offline. Consequently rural areas in the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar belt are enduring 8 to 10 hours of outages daily while some districts report being without power for half the day.

The crisis is hitting the economy hard. In industrial zones like Bayezid Bostami, Patharghata and Kalurghat, production has reportedly dropped by 30%.

Despite using generators, large factories and offices are struggling to maintain operations. Agriculture is also suffering as irrigation systems remain stagnant without power.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) officially records a peak-hour deficit of around 170 MW though field reports suggest the actual shortfall has surpassed 200 MW. Md. Akbar Hossain, Assistant Director (Public Relations) of PDB Chattogram, confirmed that the shutdown of six plants has caused the supply to drop below demand.

While PDB has issued notices attributing some outages to "repair and conservation work," many consumers view this as a cover for the ongoing fuel-driven load shedding.