Time travel

|PIC1|We are used to altering the clocks in the spring and autumn in the UK. But in Bangladesh, this has happened last week for the very first time.

BMS mission workers Fiona and Les Allan take up the story: It seems as if everyone has lost all sense of time. Consider this exchange: |QUOTE|

Last Friday, under a new government plan, the clocks went forward by one hour for the first time ever. Despite TV and radio adverts, text messages and plenty of articles in the newspapers, the result has been predictably chaotic. Rather than simply moving clocks forward by one hour and keeping everything else the same, many institutions (including our own) have shifted their entire schedules forward by one hour, thereby nullifying any benefit! Because of this, many of our colleagues have refused to change their watches as they don't like going home for lunch at 2.00pm instead of the normal 1.00pm.

Coming from the UK, where there is a huge difference in daylight hours between summer and winter, it still feels strange to live somewhere where there is very little seasonal variation. This is great in winter when we enjoy ten to 12 hours of warm, bright daylight but we both miss those long British summer evenings. Bangladesh has no real need to change the clocks. The government has made this decision for one reason only - to save electricity.

We are in the grip of a severe energy crisis and there is simply not enough electricity to go round. At present, power stations are unable to generate enough electricity to supply all of the grid at the same time.

It is a huge challenge for the government to manage the country's energy needs and changing the clocks is the latest in a number of measures which have been introduced to reduce consumption.

However, demand for electricity is rising exponentially. This is particularly true in the major cities and towns where industries, businesses and shopping malls use a huge amount of electricity and where the emerging middle-classes are acquiring more and more electrical appliances.

To make matters worse, electricity production is actually falling after years of mismanagement and under-investment. In addition, there is competition within the Indian subcontinent for the limited natural resources needed to produce power and it has been difficult to negotiate beneficial contracts with other governments in the region.

Unfortunately, changing the clocks will only have a very small effect on electricity use. Machinery, air conditioners, domestic appliances and shop lighting are heavy consumers of electricity and are unaffected by how light it is outside. What is needed is a huge investment in energy generation, including from alternative sources, and a way of regulating or reducing consumption. Ironically, it is rural people - poor and illiterate villagers - who are pioneering the use of solar technology in this country. Through a hire purchase scheme run by local NGOs, they are able to buy a small panel which will generate enough power to run one light (often installed so their children can study), a fan and an old black and white TV.

Bangladesh is not in a unique position. Many other countries in the developing world are struggling with similar issues. The big question is how can Bangladesh develop in a sustainable way and how can the richer nations support this?

Re-printed in Christian Today with the kind permission of BMS World Mission www.bmsworldmission.org