Foreword

The conductors of the report are grateful to the locals of Muktarpara-Rajshahi,

Amtali-Barishal, Keraniganj, Savar, Shilmandi-Narshingdi, Gaibandha and
Khulna. The guides of these areas are especially to be credited. Special thanks to
the regional attributes of particular places from which the inspiration for further
research came.

Thanks to the Professor of this course for providing clear and effective instructions
without which this paper would have been impossible to complete. Heartiest
thanks to the families of the team members for arranging the tours and helping
with further information.
 Table of Contents
Topic Page Numbers

Introduction 01

Key-points:-
Location: Rajshahi
Location: Khulna
Location: Gaibandha
Location: Keraniganj 01 - 08
Location: Amtali
Location: Shilmandi
Location: Savar

Electricity and its Impacts on SDGs 09

Conclusion 10
 Transformation of Lives and Livelihoods
Introduction:
In modern times many technological aspects have changed under-developed countries
significantly. Among these aspects electricity directly or indirectly has caused major changes
worldwide. In the context of Bangladesh, electricity might not have contributed in the same way
as it did in most other countries. In Bangladesh, rural areas are still more important when it comes
to national growth. Thus, rural development related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is a
very important concept to follow. Electricity in this country can contribute a lot to achieve multiple
SDG factors. The main transformation began after Bangladesh was liberated in 1971. Therefore,
to observe the transformation we have to consider the time period of 1970-2020. In this report
multiple dimensions of usage of electricity will be covered to show how electricity helped with
the reshaping of our rural and overall growth. The research is conducted by visiting different
corners of the country and gathering information about how electricity contributed to the
development and lifestyles of people. Procedures include manual collection of data, taking and
filming interviews, recording subjects’ talking etc. The main problem this project faces is that
subjects do not always provide clear and straightforward answers to the conductors. Multiple
people had to be interviewed to get the clear idea of something. Moreover, the scenario of every
corner of the country cannot be shown in this research due to limited resources. As a result, a
comprehensive view of electricity and its effects cannot be covered in this one research.

Key-points:-
Location: Rajshahi
The Rajshahi district is known as the barren land because of its environment and agricultural
aspects. This region did not have proper drainage systems back in the 70s. This expresses the 50
years earlier situation indirectly. Improvement and overall changes in scenario is worth
mentioning.

Locals mentioned that electricity first came in this region around 1984-1985. But the scenario was
not the same for all places. Rajshahi Cadet College (RCC) had electricity connection throughout
their entire campus when the general people used kerosene oil and lamps. The college was
established during the Ayub Khan era yet it had fully functioning electricity. This shows how semi-
governmental, military institutions had facilities that general people did not have. Back in 2012-
2013 load-shedding used to occupy almost 3-4 hours a day. At present even BGB Camp of
Rajshahi has proper current flow. “Power Distribution Development Project, Rajshahi Zone” is to
be credited which has been implemented since 2015, and is supposed to be completed within 2018.

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The agricultural sector was underdeveloped. Bulls for ploughing and traditional irrigation systems
were applied. This part of the local economy has been nourished by modern technology to some
extent. Tractors are used instead of bulls in the present times for ploughing lands. Government
infrastructure is absent for irrigation systems. But motor pumps are used from personal levels for
irrigation. Rajshahi is famous for its horticulture work and experiments with foods and production
of food. Spice Research Centre is situated in Rajshahi. Such agricultural, experimental or research
works require constant and effective supply of electricity.

Although Rajshahi is not industrially that developed, it has some local ones that can be mentioned.
On the high ways to Rajshahi, brick mills can be seen in groups. There is a sugar mill in Muktarpara
as sugarcane is really common and well produced in that area. But other than these, even the locals
agreed that this part of the country is not industrially well off. Yet, the few industries mentioned
could be run here only because of the electricity that reaches this area. Road constructions started
from early 90s as many elderly people mentioned. Some said transportation facilities started to
grow during the mid80s. Electricity made this area more populated for which transportation
facilities had to increase. Mostly train service and naval routes were frequently used. Then the
construction of Jamuna Bridge was a milestone for which electricity was essential. Roads of the
cities are all illuminated by lights. In other words, electricity has made transportation easier and
safer here. There is a fuel pump in Bannesha from where fuel oil is collected for transportation or
other usages. Locals informed that some people supply the villages with fuel by purchasing it from
this pump and selling it to the villagers. This fuel pump definitely needs a large amount of
electricity to run which is being supplied to that area on a regular basis.

This area eventually started to get better in academics. During the 70s RCC was the only well off
school which has not been the case since 80s as a parent of an intermediate level student mentioned.
The University of Rajshahi was established in 1953 and needed supply of electricity. The
previously mentioned parent added that people try to do better in their lives eventually for which
education is required. This flow of trying to be more accomplished academically is the result of
direct electricity supply due to which academic institutions can run properly. This has affected the
number of people living around these academic institutions. Electricity in this sense made a
connection between peoples’ decisions for educational aspects and flow of people changing their
living areas.

Some places in Rajshahi are interesting tourist attractions that were not present during the 80s and
mid-90s. The Padma Bank in Muktarpur is very famous as a picnic spot. This helps locals to have
a seasonal income and serves the entire region’s economic interests. Locals seem to be very proud
of their home when it comes to tourism. Without electricity the basic tourists’ facilities would be
impossible and uninterrupted supply enables tourism sector to flourish readily. Environment
around brick mills is polluted either by solid wastes or by coils and smoke. But it is our hope that
the positive impacts far outweigh the negative impacts.

Source: https://dailyasianage.com/news/1464/2-lakh-to-get-electricity-in-rajshahi

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Location: Khulna
Khulna is the third largest city in Bangladesh, situated in the south-western part of the country, on
the banks of the Rupsha and Bhairab Rivers. Being surrounded by rivers and ports, Khulna has a
bursting economy which is highly dependent on jute, chemicals, fish and seafood packaging, food
processing, sugar milling, power generation and shipbuilding. Khulna also has an export
processing zone which links to foreign investments. In the past 50 years the lives of people in
Khulna changed drastically, from working in fields and fisheries to having a monumental impact
on industrialization.

Electricity was first introduced during the 70s and it had a very broad impact on the jute industry.
After the war, the jute mills were nationalized and Khulna was on the forefront of jute processing
and producing, till around 2003 when the jute mills started closing down due to deficient funding
and corruption. Only Crescent Jute Mill is still operational. The sugar mills also had to face a very
similar fate. Besides jute, fisheries had another prominent stake in the economy. Khulna has about
60 shrimp processing units and is responsible for 70% of the entire shrimp export of Bangladesh,
which makes it one of the biggest stakeholders in Khulna’s economy. Many fisheries and
hatcheries are also seen in Bagerhat upazila. Khulna has seen ups and downs in terms of economic
sectors but the seafood business has been going strong for ages. Contrasting to the scenario 50
years back, the seafood industry has improved immensely because of electricity. Transportation,
storage, processing and other aspects are being regulated intensely. This has allowed the
Bangladesh government to export shrimps and other seafood to foreign countries.

Besides the agricultural flourishment, electricity created an entirely new trade. Power generation
and shipbuilding are two of the biggest industries in Khulna. Mongla, being one of the major ports
of Bengal delta and the second busiest port in Bangladesh, is open for business 24 hours a day.
Khulna shipyard is a ship construction and repair yard in Bangladesh and it has been making profit
since 2008. Khulna shipyard constructed Padma-class offshore petrol vessels and has created
employment for thousands of people. Power generation industry became one of the major sectors
when Khulna Power Company Unit II Ltd. (KPC Unit II) was formed on June 22, 2010. It marked
the beginning of a very influential industrialized growth. Apart from the major corporations,
Khulna has its own small flourishing businesses. For example, in the main town Khulna, the
younger generation has shown a very keen interest in the restaurant and service industry for the
past 4-5 years. The rural areas have also seen a growth in SMEs because of younger generations.

All these very active industries have caused improvement in quality of life. I interviewed people
from both the rural and developed areas. People are educated, conscious and more open minded.
They said electricity has vastly improved their life and livelihood. The late 80s and mid 00s had
the most noticeable changes in livelihood. In the mid80 people started coming to towns and
working in jute and sugar mills. And around the mid-00s many people sought out employment in
power plants and shipping ports. The people were more industrialized and more into the urban
lifestyle. Education saw tremendous growth because of electricity. Children are going to school

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and those who are not as fortunate are being taught by several NGOs in night schools. The past 50
years have seen many positives and negatives ranging from natural calamities to social problems.
Electricity has helped people create positive changes to society. Most, if not all of the industries
in Khulna are dependent on electricity. The coastal areas are very much at risk from the sea and
the unpredictable weather, but even in the most difficult to reach places one can find working
lights. The use of electricity has changed the socioeconomic state of Khulna for the better.

Source: http://www.khulna.gov.bd/

Location: Gaibandha
Gaibandha is a district under Rangpur Division of northern Bangladesh. Though the majority of
Bangladesh is enjoying the fruit of urbanization, especially through electricity, Gaibandha is
lagging behind. Gaibandha is not as urbanized and industrialized as expected.

Electricity was first introduced in Gaibandha in the late 80s. But only the agriculture sector
benefited. Due to the introduction of electricity, agricultural work like irrigation, ploughing,
harvesting etc got easier. Electric shallow and deep pumps are used for irrigation. But the
availability of electricity in the overall lifestyle of people in Gaibandha is not as improved as it
should have been. Every technological advancement reached Gaibandha at a slower pace.

The district-wise level of urbanization in Gaibandha is as low as 8.85 percent whereas in Dhaka it
is more than 93 percent. That clearly denotes how under-urbanized Gaibandha is compared to the
other regions of the country. The main occupations of the people of Gaibandha district are
agriculture (44.45%), agricultural labourer (27.72%) and commerce (9.11%). These statistics
depict just how important agriculture is to the economy of Gaibandha. The supply of electricity is
much needed for modern agriculture. But unfortunately, when it comes to the continuous supply
of electricity Gaibandha is still lagging behind.

To make the situation better, necessary steps are being taken. The Bangladesh government wants
to supply electricity to every part of the country before 2020 ends. A 1320 MegaWatt power plant
is proposed which is to be made in Gaibandha and Dinajpur. ITOCHU Japan has conducted a site
screening mission. This powerplant and other associated projects may bring urbanization and
industrialization to Gaibandha, and at large the Northern part of Bangladesh, as anticipated.

Source: https://www.gaibandha.gov.bd

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Location: Keraniganj
Keraniganj is an upazila of Dhaka district situated on the bank of Buriganga River. This region
has been highly based on agriculture till now, but the overall changes since the last 5 decades is
certainly worth mentioning.

The small water bodies around the area may not be filled with as much water as 30-40 years back,
but almost each of them has a dredging pipe machine attached to transfer the sand.
When we were travelling through the west of Rohitpur Bazar in Keraniganj, we noticed the electric
poles and small sawmills that were built in the last decade. We noticed the presence of motor
vehicles and the absence of private cars around the area. A vehicle called “Easy Bike” started
operating in the area in 2005.

One of the old inhabitants said that during 1971, the liberation war, many of the guerrilla operations
were planned and conducted from Keraniganj and the local people had to face repercussions.
Pakistani army set fire to their homes, markets and the whole region was devastated. But now 50
years later, we are able to find the harmony between nature and industry in Keraniganj.

Back in the 70s, people of Keraniganj could hardly manage one meal per day; according to one of
the locals, it was a daydream for them to be able to manage three meals and get basic necessities.
But for the last 10-12 years there has not been a single person in this region who has died of
starvation, even if long term education and healthcare are still not readily available.

When the question came to electricity and its accessibility to them, the local regretted that the
previous night they had to go on without electricity for more than 12 hours. They didn't have
electricity back in the 80s, but now when they have it, it hardly fulfils the need. A power grid
substation had been built 2 years back as a solution to this problem. But one year ago, in February
2019, a fire accident occurred on inauguration day. But it is hoped that the production will start
and provide electricity.

Since the supply of electricity is inadequate at times the agriculture sector gets preference over
household and offices. A few old farmers informed us that the rate of their production had doubled
compared to the last 3 decades with the help of tractors and electric pumps that they didn't even
have 10 years ago. A positive upgrade is hoped to be possible there with the availability of
electricity to all the inhabitants within the next two years.

Source: http://keraniganj.dhaka.gov.bd/

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Location: Amtali
Amtali is an upazila of Barguna District in the division of Barisal, Bangladesh. It is bounded by
Patuakhali Sadar upazila on the north, Bay of Bengal on the south, Galachipa and Kalapara
upazilas on the east, Barguna Sadar and Mirzaganj upazilas (Patuakhali) on the west. The economy
of the upazila is heavily agriculture and fisheries based. Within the last 40 years digitization and
introduction of electricity has brought a surge of development in Amtali which continues to grow
today.

Electricity was first introduced after 1970. Before that, lanterns and Hajak lights were all people
had. From the 70s the upazila has had a gradual increase in the supply of electricity. At present,
‘Patuakhali Palli Biddut Shomiti’ is responsible for supplying electricity to the whole upazila. The
local electricity supply is controlled and monitored by the ‘Amtali Area Office’. The total number
of consumers in Amtali is 7,713. Among this, 5618 are residential and 2,095 are business related
& other categories’ consumers. Every peak hour i.e. from 5 pm to 12 am Amtali has a demand of
1.5 megawatt electricity. All the wards and unions of this upazila are under rural electrification
network. However, only 9.05% of the dwelling households have access to electricity. The only
substation in the upazila works relentlessly to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply. The
development in the supply of electricity has certainly brought changes in the lives of the local
people. Everything starting from education to economy has been positively affected by the surge
of electricity.

Amtali’s economy is primarily dependent on fisheries. Being a coastal district, Amtali has a
thriving fishing industry. Amtali has 7 rivers, 82 canals and other water bodies. Statistics state that
the yearly production amount of fishes is 6700 metric ton. The proper preservation of fishes
requires ice factories, and so there are a number of ice plants located in Amtali upazila. These ice
plants are heavily dependent on electricity and machines which run by electricity. Back in the
1970s and 80s the fishing industry wasn’t heavily dependent on machines and so lacked the finesse
and precision with which the industry is run today. By interviewing Mr. Kutti Mridha, the owner
of a local ice factory, we learnt just how much of an impact electricity has made on fisheries and
other businesses in this upazila. Mr. Mridha said, “After the introduction of current I have opened
two ice factories in the town and it has made preservation of fish very easy and accessible.”

Electricity has affected the quality of business and economy of Amtali directly. The main sources
of income in Amtali include Agriculture, which is 70.46% of its total livelihood. All across the
upazila the cultivation of rice is prominent. As a result, Amtali upazila has a number of small
manufacturing industries including rice mills and flour mills. These rice mills have now been
upgraded by use of machines that run by electricity, whereas until the 80s rice was threshed in
every household by hand. The use of electricity has greatly improved the production quality of the
crops.

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During 1969 there were only one school and one degree college for education here. As civilization
advanced and electricity came into the nook and corners of the upazila, demand for education also
grew. As a result, many schools and colleges were built in the late 90s. At present there are
approximately 65 primary schools, 34 secondary schools and 8 colleges. The availability of
electricity has transformed the lives of the local people and it continues to affect the socioeconomic
scene of Amtali positively.

Source: 1. http://amtali.barguna.gov.bd/

2. Ahmed, M 2012, Amtali, Shuddhashar, Dhaka.

Location: Shilmandi
Shilmandi is a small village just outside of Narshingdi town. About an hour and a half drive away
from Dhaka, the village is quaint. Shilmandi is one example of how our perception of “villages”
are far removed from reality right now. After conversing with a few of the villagers, one thing
seemed evident: The villages aren’t too far removed from the city life. Despite living in semi brick
built houses, the villagers have a very decent supply of electricity.

The villagers are also quite up to date with what’s happening around the world. Even if some of
the older villagers don’t know how to operate a mobile phone, they get all their information either
from a younger family member, or from the central offices. Surprisingly, when asked if there is a
gap in the information they have access to and the information the city gets, Fatima, a mother of
two young girls confidently said she feels that they are on par. The heart of the village, Shilmandi
Tahera-Asmat Middle School even has a computer with a printer and an internet connection in the
head office. The principal Maolana Md Khorshed Alam Baten and Shilmandi’s renowned scholar
Professor Mohammed Ali both agreed that the scenario has changed so much in the last 20-30
years. The accessibility of electricity and other related technology has transformed the village.
There are brick built schools everywhere. The houses that were once made of mud and were dark
at night with the exception of the dim light of a hurricane lantern, is now illuminated with bright
bulbs.

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Location: Savar
Savar is an industrial and agricultural production zone located just outside Dhaka. This location is
heavily packed with factories. Five decades ago, this area was still agriculture based with few
industries. Within the last 50 years, the industrialization flourished and developed a lot more,
generating employment and causing economic boom.Today, this area is home to many industries,
mostly because Savar is an ideal place to set up a plant. Back in the 1970s and 80s, agriculture was
the main economic contributor here. Biman Poultry Complex and Savar Dairy Farm were two
large agricultural operations run by the government. These two organizations were central to
Savar’s economy. However, with the advent of industrialization. The local economy changed into
one heavily dependent on the RMG sector.

Electricity, a must for industries, was available in this region long before the liberation war. The
existence of companies like HR Textile (A concern of Pride Group), established in 1963, shows
the availability of electricity in this region. Through the flow of time, Savar experienced drastic
changes. Establishment of DEPZ in 1993 and Amin Bazar power grid in 2005 made employment
and daily life easier for the locals.

Savar has an abundance of modernized poultry and cattle farms. Electricity has boosted this
production. A small chat with the owner of a poultry farm near Jamshing made it clear that
electricity has impacts. Efficiency increased immensely and taking care of the poultry became
much easier. From lighting to hat management, agriculture is greatly dependent on electricity here.

Interviewing locals gave us a clearer picture of how things continued for the last 5 decades.
Increase in electrical supplies encouraged industries to set roots here. Slowly, the plane lands
started holding households. An electric rickshaw-puller spoke to us and said that the area had
changed a lot in the 25 years he had been there. Constant supply of electricity has given even the
elder an option to earn. The 60ish rickshaw-puller said, “Battery run rickshaws have given me a
way to earn money. I’ve been pulling electric rickshaws since 2009”. This is an easy example of
how electricity has affected the general. In the early days of urbanization, some govt. and military
run schools and colleges were established in Savar. However, today there are over 400 schools and
10 colleges here. Well renowned universities like Jahangirnagar University and Enam Medical
College have been providing high quality education for many years. The current educational
infrastructure has been possible due to the availability and affluence of electricity.

Source: http://savar.dhaka.gov.bd/

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Electricity and its Impacts on SDGs
Sustainable Development Goals have 17 development focus points. Among which goals 4, 7, 9,
12 can be directly influenced by the supply of electricity. The correlation between each goal and
electricity supply is described below:

Goal Number 4 - Quality Education: Benefits of digitized education (Multimedia classroom,

internet access etc.) can be enjoyed because of electricity. Even though all rural areas do not have
digital benefits of education, they still enjoy the bare minimum comfort that electricity can provide.

Goal Number 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy: The affordable and mass supply of energy is
definitely not environment friendly. Most of this electricity is produced from coal and causes
pollution. In other words, Bangladesh has fulfilled the goal of affordable energy but not the goal
of clean energy.

Goal Number 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Industrialization primarily requires

a constant supply of electricity, Digitalization of Bangladesh has opened scopes for innovative
ideas and solutions in all sectors. Electricity, in short, is controlling industrialization and overall
economic growth of the entire country.

Goal Number 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production: As a resource, electricity is

always scarce. The responsible consumption of electricity can ensure proper distribution of power
in different sectors. From agriculture to large industries like metal or ship industry, responsible
usage of electricity enhances productivity.

Seemingly electricity is directly connected to the above mentioned four goals. But the seventeen
focuses of SDGs are all internally connected. Thus, clean, efficient and adequate supply of
electricity with proper infrastructure and planning can help to fulfil all 17 goals directly or
indirectly.

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Conclusion:

Electricity with all its potential, could have done more development in our rural areas over this
time period of 50 years. Although people of some regions are happy about the contribution and
situation of electricity supply, most places visited for this report showed that there is still a long
way to go if we want to take full advantage of electricity. This scenario can be seen everywhere,
every area, every corner of the country that the report covers.

Researchers can work on the rural areas that have the potential to cover different unutilized sectors
by electricity. Agriculture, transportation, education-all of these can be modernized for better
output if the researchers can impose proper utilization and scopes of electricity supply.

Some rural areas are more developed than the other ones when it comes to utilization of electricity.
This gap between availability of sources and utilization can differ from place to place which needs
further attention. Bulk of electricity supply is often used in less considerable sectors. This
malfunction in deciding the importance of sectors may cause some important fields to be ignored.
The solution to all these factors can answer a particular question of why some places are more
developed than others. The short scenario covered can provide some insights to the reality which
can open doors for further research works.

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