Amirul Islam returned home exhausted after working under the scorching sun, hoping for a fan, a cold drink and some rest.
Instead, he found his house without electricity. The water pump was not working, leaving him unable to arrange water for a bath. There was also no indication of when power would return.
“Not only are we unable to get proper lighting or run fans, but at the end of the month, the meter shows unusually high bills. This is an additional burden on ordinary people like us,” Amirul said.
His experience reflects the daily reality of residents in Baro Dhopadi village under Kaliganj upazila of Jhenaidah, where TIMES of Bangladesh monitored electricity supply for three days.
From Tuesday to Thursday, the village experienced around 25 hours of load shedding, with outages occurring during the day, evening and late at night.
On Tuesday, electricity remained unavailable continuously from 10am to 4pm due to tree-cutting and new line connection work, according to residents. Another four hours of load shedding occurred at night.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the village faced around 15 and a half hours of further outages. Residents said they receive no advance information about when electricity will return.
Many outages occur during peak hours when students study, families prepare meals and shops remain open.
Teacher Zahidur Rahman said load shedding often begins when coaching classes start in the afternoon.
“Students lose concentration in the heat when electricity remains unavailable for two to two and a half hours. Many also feel unwell,” he said.
SSC candidate Sadia Sultana said repeated outages were affecting her preparation.
“If there is eight to eight and a half hours of load shedding throughout the day and night, how can we prepare? Whenever I sit down to study at night, the power goes out,” she said.
Seventh grader Liza Khatun said rechargeable lights provide only temporary relief.
“Once the charge of our rechargeable lights runs out, there is no option but to sit in darkness,” she said.
Many households depend on electric pumps for water, making outages a major challenge.
Housewife Kajol Begum said power cuts disrupt essential household work.
“If we cannot pump water before cooking at noon and evening, the entire household routine comes to a standstill. When electricity returns for one or two hours, we have to run the water pump, charge phones and complete other tasks at the same time,” she said.
Construction worker Monir Hossain said repeated night-time outages have affected his sleep and work.
“When electricity goes out repeatedly late at night, children cry in the heat and mosquito bites make it impossible to sleep. The next day, we have to go to work exhausted,” he said.
The crisis has also hit livelihoods dependent on electricity.
Auto-van driver Yusuf Hossain said he struggles to charge his vehicle’s battery at night.
“If I cannot charge the battery, my income stops the next day,” he said.
Electronic repair worker Sajib Hossain said his income has been reduced by half due to declining work.
Grocery shop owner Abdur Razzaq said evening outages are affecting sales and risking losses of refrigerated goods.
Rabiul Islam, deputy general manager (technical) of Jhenaidah Palli Bidyut Samity, said the district’s electricity situation was linked to wider national problems.
“Necessary steps are being taken according to instructions from higher authorities,” he said.
Residents, however, said their immediate concern was not only the duration of outages but also uncertainty over when electricity would return.
The problem is not limited to Jhenaidah. A private-sector employee from Dhaka also experienced severe power shortages after visiting his home in Moniram village under Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha.
“I experienced it myself that electricity in villages is almost non-existent. In the past 24 hours, power was available for only a short period,” he told TIMES.
“There was no electricity throughout the evening. It returned around 10:30pm but did not remain stable. After going out at dawn, electricity returned only at 11:30am.”
For rural residents like Amirul, electricity is no longer simply a utility. It determines whether they can study, work, cook, sleep and manage everyday life.
