Severe gas crisis hits households and industries; Long queues at CNG stations

A severe gas shortage has affected residential consumers, industries and CNG-run vehicles in Dhaka and several other parts of the country, causing widespread suffering among people. 

For the past few days, gas pressure has remained far below normal levels, disrupting household cooking, reducing industrial production.

The driver are waiting at CNG filling stations for hours.

While visiting to different areas of the capital, including Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Shyamoli, Uttara, Badda, Rampura, Jatrabari, Demra and Old Dhaka, on Tuesday found severe gas shortages and low pressure in those areas.

Residents said gas pressure remains too low for most of the day that many households are unable to cook. In some areas, gas becomes available for a short period late at night, but the pressure remains insufficient for normal cooking. 

The victim consumers said tasks that previously took around half an hour now require two to three hours due to the low gas pressure. Preparing meals on time for school-going children and working family members has also become difficult. Many families have been compelled to buy food from outside.

The industrial sector has also been severely affected by the gas crisis. Gas-dependent factories are unable to operate boilers and production equipment properly due to insufficient pressure. 

Many factories are producing below half of their capacity, while some have been forced to suspend production lines.

Industrial owners warned that if the situation continues for a long time, production costs will increase, timely delivery of products to buyers will be disrupted and exports may face negative impacts.

A similar situation has been observed at CNG filling stations. Due to low gas pressure, many stations are not receiving adequate supplies, creating long queues in front of the stations. 

Many drivers have to wait for several hours and still fail to get enough gas. As a result, the daily earnings of CNG-run autorickshaw, microbus and other vehicle drivers have declined significantly. 

Many drivers are being forced to end their working hours earlier than usual due to the shortage.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Monday, Titas Gas said the supply of re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) from LNG terminals in Maheshkhali had decreased by around 450 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) due to a technical fault. The company said severe low gas pressure would continue among all categories of consumers under the Titas Gas distribution network until the situation improves.

Meanwhile, Adviser to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Iqbal Hasan Mahmood said it may take another 10 to 15 days for the country's ongoing gas crisis to return to normal.

The adviser said LNG unloading was disrupted after a fire broke out at a floating LNG storage and regasification unit (FSRU), causing a major disruption in the country's gas supply and worsening the crisis.

He said repair work on the damaged FSRU was underway, but LNG cargo unloading could not resume until the repairs were completed. As a result, gas pressure for household consumers has dropped in different parts of the country, while gas-based power plants are also facing operational challenges.