Dec 20, 2024
| Shamima Rita | DhakaTribune
For the past five days, there has been no gas supply during the day, forcing Khadija Akhter, a resident of Mirpur's Benarasi Palli area, to cook early in the morning to meet her daily needs.
"Recently, I’ve been waking up early to finish cooking, but for the last two days, even at dawn, the gas pressure has been low. What used to take an hour now takes three hours. I see no option but to buy a cylinder," Khadija stated.
The problem is not Khadija’s alone. Anika Chowdhury in the Bangla Motor area has been facing a similar issue.
As temperatures drop, gas supply becomes even more scarce. According to Anika, the problem started in December last year and has worsened over the past year.
“With a four-month-old baby, it’s impossible for me to wake up early and cook every day. So, I cook twice a week, store the food in boxes in the fridge, and eat it throughout the week. For breakfast, we rely on bread or food bought from restaurants,” said Anika.
This scene is reflected in almost every neighborhood in Dhaka. The gas crisis has worsened with the onset of winter.
Current gas supply situation in Dhaka
According to PetroBangla, residential gas supply accounts for 12-13% of total flow, with 11% recorded in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
On average, around 270 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) of gas is supplied to residential areas. In November, this figure ranged between 270-280MMCFD.
Acknowledging the crisis, PetroBangla Chairman Janendra Nath Sarkar told Dhaka Tribune: "Maintenance work is scheduled during the winter due to lower demand. Maintenance at key supply points like Bibiyana, Titas and LNG terminals caused temporary supply disruptions, which we announced through public notices. The maintenance was completed on December 17 and supply has returned to normal as of Wednesday.”
Regarding the root of the residential gas shortage, he added: "We have instructed Titas to prioritize residential gas supply. However, the issue lies in the limited infrastructure, with only two pipelines supplying gas across Dhaka. If we had five pipelines, we could easily supply adequate gas to residential areas. Currently, gas takes time to travel from one end of the city to the other, resulting in shortages."
The measures taken
Bangladesh currently faces a gas supply shortfall of 1,123 million cubic feet (MCF) compared to demand.
According to PetroBangla, the country’s daily gas production capacity is 3,829 MCF, but the average daily production and supply stand at 2,700 MCF. As of December 18, production had reached 2,756 MCF.
The Energy Division is addressing this crisis through two key measures.
The first one is reducing system loss. The government wants to achieve this by supplying gas between companies through metering to minimize losses, identifying and sealing leaks in pipelines, and identifying and removing illegal gas connections.
Another measure is increasing supply by drilling new wells and focusing on offshore energy exploration.
PetroBangla Chairman Janendra Nath Sarkar said: “Our gas production from Chevron and other domestic sources is steadily improving. Sixteen wells have been drilled so far, increasing production by 190 MCF, with 100 MCF already added to the grid. By December 25, production will further increase. A total of 50 wells will be drilled, with plans for an additional 100 wells by 2025. Drilling is expected to begin by early 2026.”
He also urged journalists to support the campaign to remove illegal connections, noting that such connections outnumber legal ones.
Prepaid meters
The ongoing crisis has raised concerns among customers about paying full gas bills despite inadequate supply.
Subrata Roy, a resident of Azimpur, said that after paying a gas bill of Tk1,600 in November, he had to spend an additional Tk3,000 on cylinder gas, electric stoves and ovens.
“Every month, we spend at least Tk 3,000 extra. Governments may change, but our fate remains the same. Rising commodity prices coupled with the gas crisis leave middle-class families like ours constantly struggling. If gas supply cannot be ensured, at least waive the gas bill during this interim period,” Subrata demanded.
To address the problem, the Energy Division plans to bring all residential gas users under a prepaid metering system.
PetroBangla and Titas sources reveal that the installation of prepaid meters began in 2011, covering 10% of residential gas users as a pilot project.
However, the initiative was halted.
Although plans were made to expand prepaid meters to all residential users by 2024, this was not implemented.
Janendra Nath Sarkar announced that two million prepaid meters would soon be installed within the next three years to curb gas misuse.
He added: “We currently have no plans to provide new residential gas connections. Instead, we will equip the existing two million customers with prepaid meters. Compared to residential use, our focus must be on addressing shortages in the industrial sector, as uninterrupted gas supply is essential for the economy. Residential cooking can be managed with LNG.”