Ravi Shikder lives in Gulbagh the capital. Lately, there is sometimes cooking in her house, sometimes not. Ravi Shikder said that regular gas is not available in Gulbagh for several days. Gas stays for a short time. Hot water is needed in the morning to take a bath on a winter day. It is not possible due to lack of gas. There is an 8-year-old baby girl at home. Hot water is no longer used for his bath.
A couple living in Chamelibag woke up late at night. Because you have to cook. Gas is not found from morning to midnight. Gas comes at midnight. As a result, the couple wakes up in the middle of the night, forbidding sleep to cook. In such a situation they are deprived of normal sleep. Meanwhile, it is known that this ongoing gas crisis will not end soon. Gas is being supplied on a priority basis as demand is more than supply. Due to the gas shortage, production has been disrupted in many industries. However, the residential gas crisis has increased the suffering of the citizens. Lower production compared to demand, lower LNG supply, and dollar crunch are the main reasons, said the stakeholders.
According to Petrobangla sources, there is always more or less a gas shortage in the country. This crisis may increase in the future. Because, if the demand for gas increases day by day, the production or import is not increasing in that proportion. As the demand increases, so will the shortage. As planned, there will be no sudden increase in gas supply in winter. Generally, gas supply is low in November, December, January, and February in the country. Electricity demand increases from March. At that time, the gas supply is almost normal. However, despite the increase in supply, the residential gas crisis is not being solved easily. Petrobangla sources also said that the daily demand for gas in the country is about 3800 million cubic feet. Once it was possible to 256 million cubic feet of gas was produced last Saturday. Of this, LNG is 50 million cubic feet. 85 percent of this gas has been supplied. As a result, it is possible to supply 210 million cubic feet of gas. 84.7 million cubic feet on-grid, 7.8 million cubic feet off-grid, 22.7 million cubic feet in fertilizer factories, and 147.7 million cubic feet of gas have been supplied to commercial-residential and other sectors. As such, there is a shortfall of 80-90 million cubic feet of gas in Titas gas-regulated areas alone. Which is affecting the residents of the capital. Meanwhile, there are two floating terminals at Maheshkhali in Cox's Bazar for converting imported LNG and supplying it to the pipeline. As one of its terminals was closed for renovation, the supply of gas was reduced by about 500 million cubic feet. supply up to 320 million cubic feet per day, but currently the daily supply is 210-230 million cubic feet. Residential gas shortage is acute in various areas of the capital: Kamrangirchar, Narayanganj, Jatribari, Syedabad, Demra, Jurain, Mirpur, Dakshin Paikpara, Badda, Gogan, Malibagh, Gulbagh, Shantibagh, Chamelibagh, Green Road, Mohammadpur, Basila, Segunbagicha, Old Dhaka, Gas shortage is highest in Narinda, Jurain, Tanti Bazar, Shankhari Bazar, Uttara, Dakshin Khan, Banashree and Rampura areas.
Locals complain that the gas supply is so low during most of the day that it is not possible to light the stove. It is not possible to cook with what is available. In some areas, this problem continues throughout the year. The gas crisis is increasing day by day. Somewhere gas comes in the evening, but there is no gas in the stove during the day, so there is an extra workload at night. As a result, citizens are forced to pay gas bills every month as well as pay extra for using LPG cylinders. Petrobangla Director (Operations and Mines) Kamruzzaman Khan said, that as the demand increases, the shortage will increase. According to the plan, the gas supply is less in winter. If we can supply as much as 35 crore cubic feet, there will be no shortage. As supply is less than demand, there is always a reduction in one sector and more supply in another sector.
Minister of State for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nazrul Hamid said that the gas crisis is temporary and some more time will be needed to overcome this crisis. One of the country's two LNG terminals is out of the country for renovation. Because of this, the ongoing gas crisis in winter has increased. It is not possible for Petrobangla to increase the supply of gas until the LNG terminal comes to the country after renovation.
The state minister expressed regret for the suffering of the common people in the ongoing crisis and said that due to the winter crisis, there is a problem with burning stoves in the houses. At the same time, there has been a shortage of gas in the industry. This Ramadan and summer, the electricity demand will increase more than before. The government is now taking initiatives to meet this demand. The demand for next summer has already been determined at 17,500 megawatts.
ARS
