Countrywide gas crisis worsens
Staff Reporter :
Despite the government’s assurances of improving the gas supply in a couple of days, the situation has further deteriorated across the country following the shutdown of supply in Chattogram.
Due to technical glitch at the Maheshkhali LNG Terminal in Chattogram, gas supply has been disrupted, causing immense sufferings to the inhabitants of the port city as well as other parts of the country including the capital on Friday.
Concerned authorities hinted that they are expecting to resume the supply by Saturday as the issue may not be resolved on Friday.
Meanwhile, the shutdown of gas supply has led to a halt in production at gas-dependent industries, which incurred a heavy loss that could not be determined immediately.
State Minister of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid on Wednesday said, “Among many other challenges, gas is one of these.
We have problems with Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU). We hope this situation will improve by one or two days.”
“We have a big plan to make the gas supply uninterrupted from March. The month of Ramadan is approaching. We have taken this plan considering Ramadan,” he further said.
Meanwhile, Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL) sources said that it has 6,0914 gas connections in Chattogram, with 5,97,561 connections for households and the remaining in industrial, commercial, and other sectors.
The daily gas demand is approximately 325 million cubic feet. However, under normal circumstances, Maheshkhali LNG Terminal supplies 280 to 300 million cubic feet.
From November 1, there was a shortage of at least 100 million cubic feet of gas. This has adversely affected all types of consumers.
Residents of the port city found themselves without gas supply on Friday morning, causing inconvenience as they faced unannounced disruptions because KGDCL
did not issue any prior notice about it.
With gas unavailable in the morning, many resorted to queuing up at restaurants for meals, only to find that several eateries were unable to cook due to the gas shortage.
In various areas, customers are resorting to using electric stoves and wood-fired stoves to prepare meals in the absence of gas supply.
With the abrupt halt in gas supply, filling stations across the city were also experiencing shortages.
This shortage had resulted in a decrease in the operation of CNG-powered auto-rickshaws. However, the impact on transportation was comparatively lower due to the weekly holiday.
Sources said that Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company reports that technical issues at the Maheshkhali LNG Terminal in Cox’s Bazar had led to the cessation of gas supply in Chattogram since Thursday.
The company’s Chief Executive Aminur Rahman told the media that experts from Singapore have been brought in to address the technical problems.
“With gas supply completely halted in Chattogram, residents are facing low gas pressure in other areas,” Rahman mentioned.
“It is not possible to provide gas today (Friday), but he hopes the situation will improve by tomorrow (Saturday),” he said.
Residents in areas such as Hamzarbag, Momenbag, Hill View, Askar Dighirpar, Enayet Bazar, Lovelane, and Andarkilla in the port city have reported difficulties in obtaining meals.
Many people said that even hotels were unable to provide food. As a result, some were resorting to using mud stoves as an alternative, while others have purchased gas cylinders.
Elias Hossain, who went to a restaurant in Chakbazar in Chattogram shared his experience of not being able to find food.
In response to the crisis, the manager of a restaurant named Ali, located near Gate No. 2 in the port city, stated that there has been an increased demand since morning.
“Despite using cylinders to prepare food, we are unable to meet the customers’ demands,” he said.
The Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources in a notification on Friday said, there is a shortage of gas due to winter conditions in Chattogram and other parts of the country.
It further said that Fire Service and Civil Defense, Petrobangla, and relevant companies are constantly monitoring the situation.
The authorities express sincere regret for the temporary inconvenience faced by valued customers, the notification said.
On the other hand, inhabitants of different localities of the capital Dhaka and Narayanganj on Friday also experienced a severe gas crisis since morning to midday, which hampered cooking meals and running factories.
The city dwellers have expressed their frustrations overt the interruption of gas supply, saying that they are losing their tempers because of the continuous problem.
The nation has been grappling with a severe gas crisis since October last year, attributed to reduced imports and maintenance activities at one of the two FSRUs.
Although the FSRU was expected to recommence gas supply last week following the completion of maintenance work, there has been a delay in the process.