Textile mills and other factories in Bhulta, Gawchia and Araihazar areas of Narayanganj are facing a severe gas crisis, as supply lines have virtually dried up, industry sources said.
Most factories recorded zero PSI gas pressure on their meters since Monday morning, forcing production to halt.
On the other hand, most areas of Dhaka have also been affected by acute gas shortages, with some neighbourhoods experiencing complete cut-offs and others receiving very low pressure. The disruption has severely hampered cooking, forcing many households to rely on electric stoves or buy food from outside.
Officials of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited said the shortage resulted from maintenance work at a unit of a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), which disrupted overall gas supply.
Requesting anonymity, an executive director of a textile mill told the FE that gas pressure dropped to 0 PSI on Monday morning, forcing all looms to shut down.
"All maintenance activities and some machines are being operated using CNG, REB electricity and solar power, but CNG supply is not sufficient to keep operations normal," he said.
Talking to the FE, NZ Group Managing Director Salehudh Zaman Khan Jitu said gas supply has declined over the past few days, with pressure remaining at irregular levels between 1 and 5 PSI.
"We were able to manage production with additional support from alternative sources. However, today we failed to run any machines," he said. He added that they suspect gas may be bypassed to other users or zones, affecting supply to their industrial area in Bhulta.
Doulot Aktar Mala, a resident of Dilu Road in the Mogbazar area, said that gas pressure has remained low for the last couple of months, with supply often completely cut off in the mornings.
Gas pressure usually improves around midday, she said, adding that the area experienced a total shutdown of gas supply on the day.
Laila Arjumand, a homeowner in the Shekhertek area of Mohammadpur, said residents have been facing severe gas shortages for months.
"We used to receive gas for only a few hours, but in the last few days there has been no supply at all," she said.
Pervin Akhter, a resident of the DIT Project area in Merul Badda, said the situation has worsened significantly over the past couple of months.
"The pressure is so low that it is not even possible to cook bread (ruti). It takes more than an hour just to boil rice," she said, adding that the crisis has persisted for a long time. "That is why we keep an induction cooker and a rice cooker."
Another resident of the Uttar Badda area, Showkat Ali, said gas pressure usually remains low, but the situation has deteriorated further recently.
"There has been no gas supply at all since last night (Sunday). Today (Monday) we have to use an induction cooker," he said.
Engineer Mohammad Saidul Hasan, General Manager (Operations) of Titas Gas, said the situation arose due to routine maintenance of an FSRU unit over the past few days. He noted that similar conditions prevailed across Titas franchise areas in Mymensingh, Dhaka and Narayanganj districts.
He added that the FSRU has already resumed operations since Monday morning, expressing hope that gas supply would improve within the next 24 hours.
Mr Hasan also mentioned that against a demand for 1,600 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), the system is currently receiving only 1,200 mmcfd, leading to the ongoing supply constraints.
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