Here comes the sun
THE government is contemplating to forward Bangladesh Standard Time by one hour from June this year under the proposed Daylight Saving Time (DST) plan in order to tackle the power crisis. The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources discussed the issue with other ministries at a meeting held on April 5 and asked them to send their views on the proposal.
The caretaker government of Fakhruddin Ahmed first planned to introduce DST
system in April 2007 but backtracked due to the complexities surrounding the issue. The caretaker government also decided in principle to divide the country into cluster-wise zones for load management, but could not implement this.
DST is the convention of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. DST gives us the opportunity to enjoy sunny summer evenings by moving our clocks an hour forward in the spring.
Benjamin Frankin, when American envoy to France, first conceived the idea of DST in 1784 and wrote an article in the Journal de Paris regarding an economical project for diminishing the cost of light.
The modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist George Vermon Hudson, whose shift-work job gave him leisure time to collect insects and made him aware of the value of after-hours daylight. In 1895 he presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society proposing a two-hour daylight saving shift.
But the implementation of DST has been fraught with controversy since Benjamin Franklin conceived of the idea. Even today, some regions and countries routinely change their approaches to DST.
The reason DST works is because it saves energy due to less artificial light needed during the evening hours -- clocks are set one hour ahead during the spring, and one hour back to standard time in the autumn. Many countries observe DST, and many do not.
Adding daylight to afternoons benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours, but causes problems of farming, evening entertainment, and other occupations tied to the sun. Traffic fatalities are also reduced when there is extra afternoon daylight.
DST's occasional clock shifts present other challenges. It complicates time-keeping and can disrupt meetings, traveling, billing, record-keeping, medical devices and even sleeping patterns. Many computer-based systems can adjust their clocks automatically, but this can be limited and error-prone, particularly when DST rules change.
The daylight saving date in many countries may change from time to time due to special events or conditions. The United States, Canada and some other countries extended DST in 2007.
The new start date is the second Sunday in March and previously it was first Sunday in April during spring and during autumn the start date is first Sunday in November which previously was the last Sunday in October. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed both the starting and ending dates of DST in US.
Many European countries including UK observe the system of DST. India introduced DST during the times of war but dropped it later. Pakistan introduced DST in 2008.
It is difficult to predict what will happen with DST in Bangladesh. It is said that around 200 mw of electricity can be saved using afternoons daylight advancing the clock by one hour.
But the DST may create confusion among the people about timing of prayers, office, and school timing. Many people may not understand the DST as the illiteracy rate is higher in the country.
Farmers and day-labourers, whose hours are set by the sun, may not be benefited by introducing DST in the country. Therefore, the government should give a second thought before introducing the DST in Bangladesh.
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