Govt directs all to keep AC at 25°C, shut malls by 8pm
Staff Correspondent
The government on Monday directed all commercial facilities to be shut by 8:00pm, and asked citizens to keep AC temperatures at 25°C or above to ensure uninterrupted power during the ongoing heatwave.
In a circular, the Power Division also ordered against charging easy-bikes and motorised rickshaws illegally, among a number of other measures.
According to the circular, despite the unprecedented achievements in the power sector in the last 15 years, the demand for electricity has increased at an "abnormal rate" due to the ongoing heat wave crisis.
During the peak hours of the day, the country's power generation stood at 12,753MW against a demand of 16,200MW, resulting in a deficiency of 3,447MW, according to the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB).
The shortfall was anticipated to worsen during the evening peak hours, with demand likely to exceed 17,200MW.
As a result, the country faced unprecedented power shortages until Monday noon, with load shedding nearing 3,200 MW — the worst daily power outage in recent times.
Official sources indicate that the majority of the load shedding burden is strategically shifted to rural areas to prevent power outages in the capital Dhaka, and other major cities. This policy decision has significantly aggravated the hardships faced by rural populations amid the intense heat.
