Narsingdi factories burn wood to keep production going
Although the gas crisis began in Narsingdi in the first week of August, it has intensified sharply over the past three days, with more than 100 factories forced to shut down due to the shortage
As more than 100 factories in Narsingdi have remained shut for three days due to a severe gas shortage, at least 50 factory owners are now burning wood as an alternative fuel to keep some production running.
Sizing mills, which process yarn, are using wood to operate their steam boilers. Each factory is spending more than Tk10,000 a day on wood.
During a visit to the Chowala industrial area yesterday, workers were found burning wood in the steam boilers at Haque Textile and Unifill Textile mills.
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Mohammad Shakhawat, a boiler operator at Haque Textile, said, "Previously, we used waste fabric to start the boilers. But the price of waste fabric has increased, so we are now burning wood."
Aslam Fakir, general secretary of the Narsingdi Chowala Textile Industry Owners Association, told TBS that sizing and dyeing factories cannot operate without gas.
"Our factories have had no production for the past three days. We are losing around Tk300 crore a day on average. Some factories have been forced to burn wood as an alternative fuel," he said.
Production down by up to 70%
Narsingdi has more than 4,000 large and small factories, according to local businesspeople. Around 3,000 of them are textile, dyeing, sizing, spinning and garment factories.
About 400 factories are gas-dependent and require uninterrupted gas at a pressure of 10-15 PSI for normal production.
Although the gas crisis began in Narsingdi in the first week of August, it has intensified sharply over the past three days. More than 100 factories have been forced to shut down due to the shortage.
Businesspeople estimate that the crisis is causing losses of at least Tk300 crore every day.
A visit to several textile, dyeing and sizing factories in Chowala found most of them shut due to the gas shortage. Factories that are still operating with alternative arrangements have seen production fall by around 70%. Some are operating at just 10% of capacity, while production costs have also risen.
Seven of Momin Textile's 10 units shut
Momin Textile Mill, the largest and one of the oldest factories in the Chowala industrial area, has shut seven of its 10 units because of the gas shortage.
The export-oriented factory requires 22,000-23,000 cubic feet of gas a day but is currently receiving only 8,000-10,000 cubic feet.
The mill exports its fabrics to Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Although it has the capacity to produce 25 lakh yards of fabric a day, production has now plunged to just 20,000 yards.
Of its 2,500 workers, around 1,500 are currently without work because the factory cannot maintain normal production. The company, however, said it is continuing to pay their wages to retain them.
Masudur Rahman, managing director of Momin Textile Mill, told TBS that the company had been able to fulfil orders from foreign buyers until July.
"But we have been facing problems since this month. We still have orders for around 20 lakh yards of fabric, but we cannot produce them," he said.
The company is considering LPG as an alternative to gas, but that would increase production costs by at least Tk2.50 per yard.
"Foreign buyers are constantly asking about the gas and power situation. If the gas crisis is not resolved quickly, the industrial sector will face a prolonged crisis," Rahman said.
Other factories also sending workers home
Mohammad Irtajul Islam, proprietor of Al Madina Textile Mill, said his factory sources processed yarn from sizing mills to produce grey fabric, which is then sold to other factories for dyeing.
"But sizing mills have shut down because of the gas shortage, so we cannot process the yarn," he said.
"Previously, my factory produced 1 lakh yards a day. Now we cannot even produce 30,000 yards. We have been forced to reduce workers' shifts from two to one. To cut losses, we have decided to send around 100 of our 150 workers on leave. Given the current gas situation, the factory could shut down at any time," he added.
Gas supply falls below half of demand
According to the Narsingdi office of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution, the district's monthly gas demand from residential and commercial consumers, the Ghorashal-Palash fertiliser complex and industrial factories stands at around 13 crore cubic metres. But due to the current shortage, supply has fallen to less than half of the required level.
Mohammad Maksudur Rahman, manager of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution's Narsingdi office, told TBS that the company is unable to supply factory owners according to their demand because of the crisis.
"However, the situation may improve next week," he said.
