Solar power brightens life of Teesta char people
With the installation of an 1800 watt solar panel at Char Nayarhat Bazar in Paschim Haldibari village, the lives of residents of Teesta River char, three kilometres from the mainland in Lalmonirhat's Hatibandha upazila, suddenly look brighter.
“We can now charge our mobile phones without going to the mainland,” says local Zahurul Islam, 52. “The solar connection has made it possible.”
“We can watch television,” says farmer Rehanat Mahmud, 55. “So people stay in the bazaar these days, into the night.”
According to teashop owner Idris Ali the situation is now better than on the mainland. “We never have load shedding,” he says, “but on the mainland it's common.”
The solar panel, installed by the local government engineering department (LGED) at a cost of Tk 11.86 lakhs, provides electricity to six premises in Char Nayarhat Bazar including two grocery stores, as well as illuminating 10 light poles for safety and security. A four-member sub-committee has been formed to manage the facility.
Shamsul Miah, a member of the local council and also the sub-committee's president, says the solar power installation will bring new opportunity. “People now gather everyday in the bazaar,” he says, “They understand the importance of the electricity facility and will undoubtedly take good care of it.”
“This solar connection offers hope to locals' lives,” says the managing director of Sustainable Power Ltd, Abu Naser, who works as a renewable energy specialist for the LGED's solar connection programme for rural areas nationwide. “Two shops have been given free connection on condition they run TVs to bring news and televised entertainment to the villagers.”
“A week ago I never kept my shop open after evening,” says local grocer Bayen Mahmud, 48, whose shop was connected last week. “Now I stay here until 10 p.m. every night.” His is one of the shops running a TV.
According to the project's contractor Alamgir Hossain Babu, Char Nayarhat Bazar is now a model of sustainable energy connectivity in the district.