Staff Reporter :
In the wake of an ongoing gas crisis in household and industrial sector, the government has issued a warning about potential disruptions in electricity production at gas-powered plants in the coming days.
In a disclosure on Saturday, the Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources said that technical glitches at the Maheshkhali LNG terminal have led to a crisis in gas-based electricity production.
“There is a disruption in the supply of LNG at the terminal in Maheshkhali due to a technical glitch. As a result, there is a temporary reduction in gas-based electricity production.
This may lead to the possibility of load shedding in some regions of the country,” Mir Mohammad Aslam Uddin, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry, said.
The prevailing shortage of gas supply has already taken a toll on the daily lives of people, significantly impacting households and industries alike.
Now, with the looming threat of disruptions in electricity production at gas-powered plants, the situation is poised to worsen.
People are deeply worried about the implications of an additional blow to the power supply, which is integral to numerous aspects of modern living.
Electricity plays a crucial role in homes, businesses, and essential services, and any interruption could exacerbate the challenges already posed
by the gas shortage.
The gas crisis intensified after the American company Excelerate Energy failed to commence operations at the LNG terminal in Maheshkhali as scheduled on Friday.
This setback resulted in a severe gas crisis affecting more than five districts, including Cumilla and Narayanganj.
Despite the challenges, households under the Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL) began receiving gas supply on Saturday morning. KGDCL anticipates that gas supply will be fully restored by Saturday night.
Aminur Rahman, Managing Director of KGDCL, provided assurance, stating, “The gas supply began at 10:30 pm on Friday.
Customers started getting gas since Saturday morning. We hope the supply will be normal at night.”
The sudden disruption of gas supply on Thursday left more than six lakh subscribers without gas, according to KGDCL.
Furthermore, industrial production in many areas came to a halt due to the technical glitches.
The disruption of gas supply and the low pressure of gas in the pipelines are seriously affecting the lives of the people across the country including the capital Dhaka for a long time.
Different parts of the capital including Mirpur, Mahakhali, Dhamondi, Gandaria and Azimpur have been experiencing severe gas crisis throughout the day.
The residents of these areas said that they cannot cook meals since morning to afternoon because of the shortfall in gas supply.
The acute crisis of gas supply is forcing people to be dependent on gas cylinders or electric stoves by spending additional money. Even many of them are buying foods from hotels or restaurants.
Though the government is stating that the situation will be normal soon, but life has become difficult for the ordinary people to spend extra money from their pockets amid the soaring price hike of daily essentials.