Severe gas crisis from pipeline leakage leaves Dhaka residents suffering

Highlights

• Gas pipeline coming from Aminbazar developed a leak underneath Buriganga River

• Gas crisis affecting Mohammadpur, Kafrul, Shewrapara

• Coast Guard, Fire Service, divers working together on repairs

With no gas available in the stove since morning, Tahmina Akter (60), a resident of Ibrahimpur in Kafrul, usually has to cook the entire day's meals right after the Fajr prayer. However, for the past three days, there has been no gas at all from morning until noon, forcing her family to buy breakfast from hotels.

Residents of Mohammadpur are facing a similar situation. A resident of Japan Garden City in Mohammadpur told The Business Standard, "This morning (Wednesday), we had biscuits for breakfast at home. There was no bread available in shops. Hotels selling roti and paratha had extremely long queues. I am a schoolteacher, and my school also has a daycare. Meals are cooked at the school for the children, but that has been stopped for the past two days. We now have to buy food from hotels for very young children."

He added that the absence of gas has created the biggest problems in managing food for elderly and younger family members, as they have various dietary restrictions. "Taking advantage of the gas shortage, the prices of induction stoves and rice cookers have also gone up. One of my colleagues had to buy an induction stove at an inflated price."

Regarding the severe gas shortage, Engr Kazi Mohammad Saidul Hasan, General Manager of the Operations Division of Titas Gas Transmission Company, told The Business Standard, "The gas pipeline coming from Aminbazar has developed a leak underneath the Buriganga River. For safety reasons, gas pressure has been reduced in Mohammadpur and several other areas."

A severe gas crisis is currently affecting most residential areas of the capital, including Kafrul, Mohammadpur, and Shewrapara. In many homes, stoves cannot be lit due to insufficient gas pressure in the pipelines. In some areas, gas is available only for a few hours at dawn or late at night, which is not enough for regular cooking. As a result, many families are struggling to prepare even one proper meal a day, disrupting daily life.

Saidul Hasan added, "For the past three days, the Coast Guard, Fire Service, and a team of divers have been working together on repairs. Today, it was possible to install one leak clamp, but the repair is not yet complete. A specially sized new leak clamp needs to be manufactured before work can resume. For now, the extent of the leakage has been reduced. Gas pressure will be increased gradually."

Inquiries revealed that the gas crisis has reached critical levels in Mohammadpur, some parts of Shewrapara in Mirpur, Shonir Akhra, Nayapaltan of Mogbazar, Chairman Goli, Rampura, Badda, Basabo, and parts of Old Dhaka, including Sutrapur, Ray Saheb Bazar, and Lakshmibazar.

A resident of Sutrapur in Old Dhaka said that for the past month, there has been no gas from morning until late afternoon. "For the last three days, there has been no gas at all. Today I had to leave for the office without breakfast. Even at hotels, food is unavailable due to long queues."

Saidul Hasan, General Manager of Titas Gas's Operations Division, told The Business Standard, "We have received the highest number of complaints from the Mohammadpur area. Gas supply there was reduced due to a leak in the transmission line. After several days of effort, the leak has been identified and repaired. Gas pressure and supply are now being increased gradually, and the situation should be resolved within two to three days."

Regarding shortages in other areas of Dhaka, he said, "We are supplying the required gas for Titas's legal customers. However, in some areas, legal consumers are not receiving sufficient gas mainly due to illegal connections. We are continuing efforts to disconnect illegal connections, but Titas alone cannot address this issue."

He described the situation as resembling a "cat-and-mouse game," saying, "We disconnect illegal connections, but they reconnect again later. Due to illegal users, legal customers are suffering. Alongside Titas, public awareness is also necessary. Without this, it will be very difficult to resolve the gas crisis."

Meanwhile, as pipeline gas pressure continues to decline across the city, dependence on LPG cylinders is increasing. However, LPG cylinders are not available anywhere at the prices set by the Energy Regulatory Commission.