After a continuous unavailability of electricity for three days last week, angry residents brought out processions from Chankharpul to Nazimuddin road and damaged waterworks substation of the Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (DESA).

Although there is an improvement in regular supply residents of Lalbagh complain that there is only one feeder (electricity transmission equipment) from Hajaribagh to Posta. Therefore if one transmitter bursts electricity in the entire area powered by the feeder fails.

"We have requested the ward commissioner to apply to Desa to install at least one more feeder," said an official of a local plastic company from Lalbagh.

Superintending engineers from Lalbagh and adjoining circles said the demand of electricity is 100 to 150 Megawatts (MW) daily but they are able to supply only 80 to 90 MW of electricity. The deficit is due to lack of infrastructure apart from increasing the transmission capacity to solve the existing problems.

Desa sources earlier said that a 33 Kilowatt (kw) transformer of the Hasanabad grid substation, which supplies power to the Lalbagh sub-station and disperse electricity to the adjoining areas, went out of order recently.

With this transformer not functioning, the areas under Lalbagh sub-station -- Lalbagh, Narinda, Bangla Bazar, Bangshal suffered the most. Other affected areas are Central Jail, Shoari Ghat, Chawk Bazaar, Bakshi Bazar, Nazimuddin road, Posta, Kamrangir Char, Islampur, Nababganj, Rahmatganj, Kazi Reazuddin road.

The power the area receives is 70 mw, 80 mw less than the daily demand. Due to the transmitter failure, this power-supply level came down as low as 30 mw transmitted over a single line.

The outcome was 15 to 16 hours of load shedding daily and without electricity the water supply halted which added to the crisis.

Akkas Mondal, an English road resident said: "There was absolutely no water supply. With the intense heat children became sick; there were no water for drinking or for household chores."

Other residents from areas around Lalbagh echoed similar complaints.

A superintending engineer from the Lalbagh circle said there was still a shortage of five to 10 mw electricity and areas around Lalbagh are still experiencing a 2-3 hour crisis of electricity at night.

A resident James Ahmed from Lakshmi Bazar and Humaira Islam from Bangshal areas said there is sill a constant load shedding of one hour. Once the electricity is stopped at 9:00, it does not come back before 11:00 pm.