Gas crisis affects city life

Dwellers in some parts of the capital city are facing a serious crisis of gas to the extent that some could not take their meal on time, according to sufferers.

Pressure of gas is so low at many houses during the day time that housewives have to wait for long to complete their cooking.

In some areas, the people have been suffering for gas crisis since the beginning of Ramadan in May but the crisis has aggravated in recent days.

In the capital’s Free School Street in Kathalbagan, housewives said, they sometimes need three hours to cook rice due to the low gas pressure. In normal circumstances, when gas pressure is adequate, it takes only 20 minutes.

Eleven families living at a Free School Street building suffered for gas crisis most of the times during the month of Ramadan, Abdus Sadi, one of the residents, told Prothom Alo on Sunday.

“There was certain improvement but the crisis has been acute for the past four days or so. It takes at least three hours to cook rice. We cannot take breakfast and tea on time,” he said.

City dwellers in some parts of Dhanmondi area also face the same situation. Belayat Hossain. a resident of Dhanmondi road number 8, told Prothom Alo that their gas stove hardly remains functional during the day time. He said they have to cook food at late night. The experience was the same for the dwellers at Dhanmondi road number 11/A.

In his house at Ibrahimpur, retired government official Asgor Ali said, they have been using kerosene stove for cooking due to gas crisis.

Some dwellers in the capital's Gendaria and Sutrapur areas said they do not have gas supply from 7am to 12pm.

The gas crisis affects life in Walter road, Modon Saha road, BK Das road and Farashganj areas.

In Tantibazar area, almost every house has been using either a gas cylinder or Kerosene stove, said Yakub Hossain who lives there.

Officials ot Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited told Prothom Alo that they are getting gas that is 100 million cubic mitre less gas than the amount they nornally receive. The company now gets 1.5 billion cubic metre gas, compared 1.6 billion cubic metre gas it got even during the Ramadan.

Titas gas director (operations) HM Ali Ashraf said Dhaka city needs at least 2 billion cubic metre gas whereas the availability is 1.5 billion cubic metre gas.

He attributed this supply shortfall to lower production in the gas fields.

There is hardly any likelihood that the gas supply situation would improve until supply of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the national grid.

 *This report, originally published in Prothom Alo print edition, has been rewritten in English by Mushfique Wadud