Bagha Faces Up To 12 Hours Of Power Cuts Daily

Residents of Bagha upazila in Rajshahi are facing severe disruption to daily life as prolonged power cuts have affected all seven unions. In some rural areas, electricity is reportedly unavailable for almost half of a 24-hour period, leaving households, farmers, students and businesses struggling to maintain normal activities.

The local Rural Electricity authority says the main reason for the crisis is a substantial shortfall in power supplied from the national grid. Against an estimated demand of around 20 megawatts across Bagha and Arani municipalities and the seven unions, the area is currently receiving only 10 megawatts at night and about 7.1 megawatts during the day.

As a result, electricity distribution has had to be managed through a rotating system, with one line kept operational while another is switched off. Residents say the interruptions are particularly severe in rural areas, where power may disappear repeatedly throughout both the day and night.

The situation is reportedly less severe in Bagha town and the municipality-centred areas. By contrast, villages under the seven unions are experiencing significantly longer outages. Once electricity goes off, residents often have little idea when the supply will return, adding to uncertainty and frustration.

Deputy General Manager of the Bagha Rural Electricity Office Moniruzzaman said the supply received from the national grid was less than half of the area’s requirement in some periods. He said the shortage was forcing the authorities to implement load-shedding on a rotational basis.

Local residents said updates about the electricity situation are regularly published on the zonal rural electricity office’s social media page, with supply shortages cited as the reason for the load-shedding.

Farmers Struggle As Irrigation Is Disrupted

Agriculture is among the sectors bearing the heaviest burden. Many farmers rely on electrically powered pumps to irrigate their fields, but irregular supply means they are often forced to wait for hours before they can operate their motors.

Mahasin Ali, a farmer from Chakrajapur Union, said the uncertainty over electricity was making irrigation increasingly difficult. He said farmers needed a reliable supply to ensure that crops received water on time and warned that prolonged disruption could result in losses.

The problem is particularly concerning because delays in irrigation can affect agricultural activities at critical stages of crop production. Farmers who depend on electric pumps may also face additional costs if they have to use alternative sources of power.

Businesses And Small Industries Hit

The electricity shortage is also disrupting rural commerce. Electricity-dependent businesses and small production facilities are reportedly operating below capacity, while many rice mills remain closed for significant periods because of the lack of power.

Poultry farms are facing additional difficulties during hot weather. Without a stable electricity supply, maintaining suitable conditions for poultry becomes harder, potentially increasing operational pressure on farm owners.

Some traders and business owners have resorted to generators or other alternative arrangements to keep their operations running. However, these measures increase operating costs at a time when businesses are already dealing with the consequences of reduced working hours and interrupted production.

Customers Complain About Higher Bills

Alongside the prolonged outages, customers have raised concerns about increases in electricity bills. Several residents claim that their bills have risen considerably compared with previous periods despite receiving electricity for substantially fewer hours.

The combination of unreliable supply and higher bills has intensified public anger. Residents, particularly those from lower- and middle-income households, say they are struggling to understand why their financial burden has increased while the quality and continuity of electricity supply have deteriorated.

Customers are calling for their billing complaints to be examined and clarified. They argue that greater transparency is needed to explain any changes in their electricity charges and to address disputed bills.

Rural Residents Question Urban-Rural Disparity

Residents have also raised questions about differences in load-shedding between urban and rural areas. People in parts of Rajshahi city reportedly experience considerably fewer interruptions than those living in the villages of Bagha.

According to one city resident, power cuts experienced there have generally been limited to around an hour during the day and a similar period at night. Bagha residents say the contrast is difficult to accept when communities in the same district are experiencing sharply different levels of disruption.

They argue that when supply is insufficient, load-shedding should be managed as fairly as possible, rather than placing a disproportionate burden on rural communities.

The impact extends beyond household inconvenience. Electricity is now closely connected with farming, education, small businesses, food processing, livestock and other elements of the rural economy. Prolonged outages can therefore affect household income and productivity as well as comfort.

Students also face difficulties studying during extended evening outages, while families may struggle with household activities during periods of extreme heat. For businesses, repeated interruptions can mean lost working hours, damaged productivity and higher costs.

Local observers believe that restoring a more dependable electricity supply should be the immediate priority. If the national-grid shortfall continues, they say, transparent and balanced load-shedding arrangements will be essential to prevent particular communities from bearing an excessive share of the disruption.

Residents of Bagha’s seven unions are seeking a swift improvement in supply, fairer distribution between urban and rural areas, and a clear response to complaints about electricity bills. Until those issues are addressed, prolonged outages are likely to continue placing pressure on agriculture, commerce and everyday life across the upazila.