Sylhet is facing a severe electricity crisis, with residents struggling to predict when power will arrive or go out. The unbearable heat of the monsoon season has intensified public frustration, while no one—including officials of the distribution agencies—can say when the situation will return to normal.
The crisis is affecting both urban and rural areas, with the situation in some villages reportedly becoming particularly severe.
People familiar with the power sector believe there is little immediate prospect of an end to the crisis amid the ongoing heat. However, a reliable source said the situation has been aggravated by the shutdown of at least three power plants in Sylhet Division due to a shortage of gas.
The situation in Sylhet city was particularly severe on Sunday and Monday. Many areas experienced repeated power outages, with electricity going off and returning several times throughout the day.
Rizon, 23, a student at Metropolitan University Sylhet who lives on Electricity Supply Road, said the outages had become unbearable.
“The power goes out and returns after several hours, but it does not stay for even half an hour. Then it goes out again and sometimes does not return for a long time,” he said.
The situation is similar in Zindabazar, one of the city's busiest commercial areas. Power is repeatedly coming and going, often remaining available only briefly. Business owners and office workers are becoming increasingly frustrated.
“If there was no electricity at all, we could at least understand. But what kind of situation is this? It goes out and then does not come back,” said Ehia Ahmed, 33, an office employee.
According to available data, electricity demand in Sylhet city reached 155 megawatts at the peak hour of 7pm on Sunday, while supply was 120MW, leaving a shortfall of 35MW. However, ordinary consumers say the figures do not appear to reflect the severity of the actual situation on the ground.
Assistant Engineer Mohammad Zarzisur Rahman Rony of the office of the Chief Engineer of the Sylhet Power Development Board (PDB) confirmed the figures.
“We are distributing whatever electricity we are receiving,” he said. However, he declined to say when the situation might improve.
Across the PDB's service area covering Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj and Moulvibazar, peak-hour demand stood at 252MW on Sunday, while supply was 199MW—a deficit of 53MW.
Sylhet PDB Chief Engineer Imam Hossain confirmed the figures. He said he did not know the exact reason for the reduced supply but added that the electricity available was being distributed as evenly as possible.
He claimed that the situation had improved somewhat on Monday compared with Sunday. However, residents' experiences appeared to contradict the claim, with many saying the situation had actually deteriorated.
The crisis is not limited to the PDB network. The situation under Sylhet Rural Electricity is also reported to be severe, particularly in rural areas. Residents say electricity is available only intermittently.
Pankaj Chowdhury, general manager of Sylhet Palli Bidyut Samity-2, said peak-hour demand in its service area was 55MW, while supply was only 23MW.
The figures indicate the extent of the power crisis facing residents of Kanaighat, Jaintapur, Companiganj and Gowainghat upazilas.
The situation is reportedly similar in Golapganj, Beanibazar, Bishwanath, Balaganj and other upazilas under Sylhet Palli Bidyut Samity-1.
Its General Manager Abdul Rashid, however, could not be reached for comment. He reportedly did not respond to repeated calls from journalists or messages sent through WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, another reliable source within the Sylhet Power Development Board, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least three power plants in Sylhet Division were currently out of operation.
The plants include one in Fenchuganj, one in Bibiyana and the Shahjibazar power plant. Although the source could not confirm the exact reason for the shutdowns, they suspected that a shortage of gas could be responsible.
The source also could not say when the plants might resume operations.
For Sylhet's residents, however, the immediate question remains unanswered: how long will the severe power crisis continue?
