UNiFEED Story: BANGLADESH / ELECTRICITY (2.12), Efforts are underway in Bangladesh to provide more people with electricity. A new project is hooking people up to the electric grid, or providing them with solar energy, when grids are out of reach. WORLD BANK

25 August 2008

BANGLADESH / ELECTRICITY (2.12)

Efforts are underway in Bangladesh to provide more people with electricity. A new project is hooking people up to the electric grid, or providing them with solar energy, when grids are out of reach. WORLD BANK

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STORY: BANGLADESH / ELECTRICITY		
TRT: 2.12
SOURCE: WORLD BANK
RESTRICTIONS: NONE 
LANGUAGE: BENGALI / NATS

DATELINE: JULY 2008, BANGLADESH

SHOTLIST:

1. Zoom out, Monowara
2. Close up, light panel
3. Zoom out, solar panel on roof
4. Pan right, electric grid
5. Zoom out, solar panel in tree
6. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Mohammed Salah Uddin, Sirajgonj Palli Cooperative:
"Normally if the applicant's papers are in order, it takes about one month, but if the electric line is already built, it can take only 20 days.  The bill is for actual use, and there is no minimum bill.   The government gives a 20 percent rebate to all irrigation clients."
7. Wide shot, boy with chickens
8. Tilt down, grids
9. Wide shot, Hussain Kullapara
10. Pan right, farmers at office counters
11. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Azimullah Hussain, Kullapara Textile Factory Owner:
"Thanks to electricity, our power loom industry is able to produce a good quality cloth, which is better than the hand loom product. Production costs are lower also, and we get a good profit." 
12. Wide shot, irrigation 
13. Pan left, fields being irrigated
14. Wide shot, loom
15. Med loom
16. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Azimullah Hussain, Kullapara Textile Factory Owner:
"Thanks to electricity, our power loom industry is able to produce a good quality cloth, which is better than the hand loom product. Production costs are lower also, and we get a good profit." 
17. Wide shot, looms

STORYLINE:

Monowara Begum has been a wife and mother for 28 years, but only recently had electricity in her house, thanks to a new project aimed at providing energy to hundreds of thousands of rural homes and businesses in Bangladesh.

The World Bank-assisted project is hooking people up to the country's electrical grids, or to solar panels, when places are so far removed from a grid that conventional electrification methods are out of the question, as is the case with Monowara's home.

SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Mohammed Salah Uddin, Sirajgonj Palli Cooperative:
"It was a very difficult time, after night fall, it was dark everywhere, no light, we could hardly procure oil or kerosene to burn lamps, during the rainy season, kerosene was not available, but now we have plenty of light at a cheaper rate.  Poor people are happy."

Monowara's home is now one of the 80,000 households and businesses benefiting from solar energy.

To extend electricity to those within reasonable distance to an electric grid, the program solicits the help of the country's electric cooperatives.  The process can take as little as 20 days, and farmers are given discounts.

SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Mohammed Salah Uddin, Sirajgonj Palli Cooperative:
"Normally if the applicant's papers are in order, it takes about one month, but if the electric line is already built, it can take only 20 days.  The bill is for actual use, and there is no minimum bill.   The government gives a 20 percent rebate to all irrigation clients."

Farmers say that now with electricity to run their ground pumps, they are irrigating at a faster and more efficient pace, and that the process costs them less than when they used diesel and oil operated pumps.

The owner of this textile factory has a similar story.  Until recently, his looms were operated by hand:

SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Azimullah Hussain, Kullapara Textile Factory Owner:
"Thanks to electricity, our power loom industry is able to produce a good quality cloth, which is better than the hand loom product. Production costs are lower also, and we get a good profit."

So good, he says, that he's saving money for more looms.

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BANGLADESH / ELECTRICITY (2.12)

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