Gas supply has yet to return to normal in Narsingdi, where severe gas shortages disrupted production at hundreds of factories on Tuesday. The crisis has also had a significant impact on public transportation and residential consumers.
Meanwhile, gas shortages have forced several heavy industries in Narayanganj and Tangail to suspend production. Production at garment factories in Savar, Dhaka, is declining. Although gas pressure has increased in Gazipur, it remains insufficient to operate factories normally. In Madhabpur, Habiganj, gas supply to factories has returned to normal, but severe shortages persist at CNG filling stations. In Mymensingh, a power plant remains shut down due to the lack of gas.
Production Almost Halted in Narsingdi
Textile, dyeing and other medium- and heavy-industrial factories in Narsingdi have become virtually non-operational due to the gas shortage.
Factory owners said there are around 500 industrial establishments in Narsingdi. However, because of insufficient gas pressure, machinery cannot be operated at most factories, bringing production almost to a standstill.
As factories are unable to meet production deadlines, concerns are growing over the cancellation of clothing orders. Industrial owners are also suffering losses of millions of taka every day as they continue to bear workers’ wages and other expenses while factories remain closed.
Rashedul Hasan Rintu (CIP), president of the Narsingdi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Narsingdi is one of the country’s major industrial zones. The national economy depends significantly on its garment, textile and dyeing industries. However, the severe gas crisis over the past several weeks has brought industrial operations to a virtual standstill.
He said factories cannot maintain production because of the extremely low gas pressure.
A visit to Narsingdi town and surrounding areas found almost no gas pressure at CNG filling stations along both sides of the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway. Hundreds of CNG-powered auto-rickshaws and other vehicles have been standing in long queues since early morning to collect gas.
Drivers have had to wait for hours. The gas crisis has also affected regional roads, where the number of operating vehicles has dropped sharply. As a result, passengers are suffering considerably, while the few vehicles still operating are charging more than double the usual fares.
Abdul Momen Molla, owner of MMK CNG Filling Station and president of the Narsingdi District CNG Owners’ Association, said CNG stations normally receive gas at 12–15 PSI, but on some days the supply falls to between zero and 2 PSI.
Gas pressure has also fallen drastically in most residential areas of Narsingdi. Several homemakers said their gas stoves have not been working from morning until late at night for several days. As a result, many families have been forced to buy food from restaurants at higher prices, while others are using traditional clay stoves or LPG cylinders.
This has increased expenses for low- and middle-income families. In addition, gas connections across Narsingdi were completely suspended from Monday night through Tuesday.
Mohammad Mamunur Rahman, deputy general manager of the regional sales division of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution in Narsingdi, said the district is receiving only about half of its required gas supply.
He said priority is being given to supplying gas to the Ghorashal-Palash Urea Fertilizer Factory, resulting in shortages at CNG stations, factories and residential areas.
All Re-Rolling Mills Shut in Narayanganj
The gas situation in Narayanganj has also not returned to normal. All re-rolling and steel mills have remained closed for 11 consecutive days due to the gas shortage.
Mohammad Mahbubur Rashid Jewel, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Re-Rolling Association, said they had been unable to restart the mills because of the gas shortage and that such a situation had never occurred before.
There are around 40 modern mills and more than 150 re-rolling mills across the country, a significant portion of which are located in Narayanganj.
Nadiruzzaman, general manager of Aman Economic Zone in Sonargaon, said its cement factory had also been unable to return to normal production. The factory is remaining closed for 8–10 hours a day. The situation is similar at eight cement factories in Narayanganj.
Factory Production Disrupted in Tangail
At least 45 factories of various types in Tangail were shut down from Tuesday morning due to the gas shortage. Later, around 8–10 factories managed to continue operations using diesel as an alternative fuel.
Russell Hossain, assistant manager of Nasir Glass, said their factory was completely shut down because of the gas shortage. Diesel was being used only to keep the furnace heated, but even the required amount of diesel was not available. Hundreds of workers were sitting idle, causing significant financial losses.
Ramzan Ali, assistant engineer at Tangail Gas Transmission and Distribution Limited, said Tangail was supposed to receive gas at 150 PSI from the national grid, but the pressure had fallen to only 20–25 PSI.
He said gas is supplied to 51 factories in Gorai, Mirzapur, Hatubhanga and Natiapara. Several factories, including Nahid Cotton, Uttara Spinning Mills, Youth Spinning Mills, Khan Garments, Compit Composite, Newtex and Sadia Textile in Mirzapur, have been forced to shut down due to insufficient gas supply.
However, Nasir Glass in Natiapara and Gorai Explore Garments Limited, among others, are managing to operate using diesel as an alternative fuel.
Gas Pressure Increases Slightly in Gazipur but Remains Insufficient
Gas supply has resumed in Gazipur, but industrial users are still not receiving sufficient pressure. Industry insiders said the pressure has increased slightly compared with earlier levels.
To minimize losses, factory authorities are operating shifts and assigning workers accordingly.
Amzad Hossain, superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police-2, said he had received reports of a slight increase in pressure, but the improvement was not significant.
Saifuzzaman Bhuiyan, manager of distribution at Titas Gas Gazipur Zone, said gas pressure would increase further within the next couple of days.
Azizul Haque, deputy general manager of SA Spinning Mills Limited in Gazipur, said gas supply to their factory remained almost the same as before. At the same time, they were also not receiving sufficient electricity. More than half of the machines remained shut down throughout the day, and workers had been given leave on a rotational basis.
Garment Production Declines in Savar
Abul Kashem, deputy managing director of AKH Group in Hemayetpur, Savar, said the gas crisis in the Savar-Ashulia industrial zone had not been resolved.
Garment factories are experiencing declining production. Gas pressure is almost nonexistent during the day and increases somewhat at night, but this does not benefit factories significantly.
He said he was not aware of any factory being completely shut down solely because of the gas shortage. However, production has certainly declined across industrial establishments due to the crisis.
Factory owners are trying to maintain operations using diesel and LPG, but this has significantly increased production costs.
Raju Ahmed, administrative officer of Al-Muslim Group in the Ulail bus stand area of Savar, said operations in the factory’s washing and dyeing units had been disrupted due to the gas shortage, resulting in lower production.
Factories Operational in Madhabpur, but CNG Stations Face Shortage
Gas supply to 81 industrial factories in Madhabpur, Habiganj, returned to normal from Sunday. However, the shortage at CNG stations has yet to be resolved.
Long queues of hundreds of vehicles were seen at CNG stations in Madhabpur and Noapara along the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway and at various stations across Habiganj. Many drivers who joined the queues early in the morning had to wait until noon.
Long lines of private cars, microbuses, auto-rickshaws and goods-carrying vehicles were seen at Al-Amin, Sushan and Semeco CNG stations in Noapara.
Mohammad Babul Chowdhury, owner of Al-Amin CNG Station, said reduced gas supply had created additional pressure at the stations.
Mohammad Khaled Gani, manager of the Shahjibazar Gas Transmission and Distribution System, said the crisis had developed because of low gas pressure at the national level. Gas supply to industrial factories has largely returned to normal, and supply to CNG stations is expected to increase soon.
Power Plant in Mymensingh Remains Shut Due to Gas Shortage
Production at the 210-megawatt government-owned RPCL power plant in Shambhuganj, Mymensingh, has remained completely suspended for 26 days due to the gas shortage.
As a result, severe load-shedding is occurring across the division. Electricity is unavailable for around 8–10 hours a day in urban areas and 12–15 hours in rural areas.
A.H.M. Rashed, managing director of RPCL, said it was uncertain when the plant could resume operations unless gas supply was restored.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Shamim Hossain, manager of operations at Titas Gas in Bhaluka, said the main pipeline was supposed to receive gas at around 1,000 PSI, but the actual pressure was now extremely low.
He said gas was being supplied on a priority basis and that the authorities were receiving a large number of complaints every day.
Gas Shortage Has Worsened Further
Despite combining domestic production with imported gas, the country has recently been facing a significant gap between gas supply and demand.
As of 6:00 PM on Tuesday, total gas supply in the country stood at 2.257 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d). Of this, 1.626 bcf/d came from domestic sources and 0.631 bcf/d from LNG.
Around 28 percent of total gas supply came from LNG.
At 8:00 PM on Monday, total gas supply was approximately 2.287 bcf/d, meaning supply had declined by around 30 million cubic feet within a day.
According to government estimates, the country’s daily gas demand is approximately 3.8 bcf/d. Therefore, on August 18, the gap between supply and demand was around 1.543 bcf/d.
Under normal circumstances, the country’s two floating LNG terminals can supply up to approximately 2.65 bcf/d when operating at full capacity. However, problems with LNG cargo supplies and terminal-related complications have prevented the country from fully utilizing this capacity.
The resulting shortage is affecting the power, industrial, fertilizer and CNG sectors.
Although gas supply to power plants has been given some priority, pressure on industrial users has increased. Compared with July 20, gas supply to power plants had declined by 2.5 percent by August 16, while supply to the industrial sector had fallen by approximately 30 percent.
As a result, gas supply to industries is being reduced to maintain electricity generation. Factories are facing production disruptions due to insufficient gas, while the cost of using alternative fuels continues to rise.
CNG filling stations are also being affected by the shortage. Reduced gas supplies to fertilizer factories are making it difficult to maintain normal production.
Overall, although the shortage in LNG supply has been partially managed, the country’s broader gas crisis has yet to be resolved.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s Adviser Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman said it could take at least another two years to completely resolve the gas crisis.
Speaking to journalists at a discussion meeting in Mymensingh on Tuesday, he said the government was moving forward with a long-term plan to address the crisis. At the same time, necessary measures were being taken to reduce the immediate suffering of consumers and industries.