Gas shortage hits many areas in capital city

Many areas of the capital city Dhaka city have been hit by a gas shortage causing problems for the consumers.

The situation may worsen in the coming winter as no necessary measure is in sight to address the problem. 

According to official sources, the areas which have been severely suffering most due to the crisis include the vast area of Mirpur and Mohammadpur, Basabo, the old part of the city, especially Lalbagh and Chawkbazar, Segunbagicha, Tejgaon, Dhanmondi and Gulshan.

Residents in these areas alleged that they don't get adequate gas during the daytime.

"Most of the time, we have to cook our meal at midnight when gas flow is found to be a little bit better. Otherwise, we need to use LPG as an alternative to piped gas", said Taslima Begum, a resident in the Green Road area of Dhanmondi.

"We have to spend a good amount of money for using LPG alongside paying to Titas Gas as consumers of its piped gas", she told UNB this week.

Halima Aktar, another Titas consumer living in Mohammadpur echoed the same, saying that she has to cook in the might as gas is not available from morning to 10 pm.     

An employee of the National Press Club noted that most of the days in the daytime the club has to face very low pressure in the gas pipe that disrupts normal cooking.

Similar allegations of no gas supply at daytime or low pressure in the gas line are being received from consumers in different parts of the capital.

Confirming the allegations, Md. Emam Uddin Sheikh, general manager of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, said that the gas supply situation in Dhaka and adjoining areas is very much part of the country's overall supply condition.

"The country has a shortage of more than 1000 million cubic feet of gas per day (MMCFD) against the overall demand for 4000 MMCFD", he told UNB.

He informed that Titas Gas, which is responsible for gas supply to Dhaka and adjoining districts, now receives 1400-1500 MMCFD gas against a demand for 1800 MMCFD meaning a shortage of 300-400 MMCFD gas.

However, official data of Petrobangla, the state-owned upstream organisation in the gas sector, shows that the country produced 2663.5 MMCFD gas on Monday including imported LNG (liquefied natural gas) against the demand of 4000 MMCFD.

It shows that the country is getting 600 MMCFD gas from imported LNG as imports witnessed a fall in recent months from a normal 800-900 MMCFD.

Official sources said the recent dollar crisis has forced Petrobangla to reduce its import of LNG which intensified the crisis in recent days.

Official sources said it is unlikely that Petrobangla would be able to increase the import of LNG or increase the production from local sources within the next few months as there is no assurance of ending the ongoing dollar crisis.

The country's foreign exchange reserves declined to below $22 billion this year from $48 last year which put Petrobangla in trouble to get adequate dollars to pay its international suppliers against its purchase of LNG from the global market.

The country's gas industry insiders said that the overall gas supply situation deteriorate in the coming winter with no visible sign of easing the dollar crisis.