DHAKA: Bangladesh has closed educational institutions and slashed the use of air conditioning and lighting at government offices in a worsening energy crisis linked to the US-Israeli war with Iran and the closure of vital oil and gas routes from the Middle East.
A country of 170 million people, which relies on imports for 95 percent of its energy needs, Bangladesh has for years been vulnerable to disruptions in global energy markets.
Oil and natural gas prices have been soaring since the beginning of the US-Israeli attack on Iran last week, which triggered Iranian retaliatory strikes on American-linked assets across the Gulf region and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Bangladeshi authorities almost immediately started implementing austerity measures, including fuel rationing at gas stations, ordering educational institutions to begin their Eid Al-Fitr holidays ahead of schedule, and government offices to minimize power consumption.
“The prime minister has already started using half of the lights at his office. He does not turn on air conditioning unless it’s urgent. This austerity is being practiced at all offices across the country,” Saleh Shibly, press secretary to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, told Arab News on Tuesday.
