Gas crisis in Dhaka city

A large part of Dhaka city is in the grip of a severe gas crisis since the holy month of Ramadan began on the last day of the last month. Most residents in the affected areas are not getting even one-fourth of the normal supply of gas throughout the day. In some areas the supply of gas at the consumers' end is almost nil even after dusk. The gas crisis-hit areas belong to both old and new parts of Dhaka and gas supply in these areas has been a problem for more than a couple of years. Of late the situation has only aggravated with the Titas Gas Distribution Company taking no remedial measures. What is annoying the consumers most is the indifference of the Titas authorities to the problem. Its officials do not feel the necessity of informing the affected subscribers of the reasons behind sudden deterioration in the gas supply situation.
A section in the government has developed a feeling that they are doing a favour to the domestic gas consumers by making gas available at a cheap price since millions of rural people have been deprived of the facility for long. Such a feeling has led to the development of a sort of indifference to the consumers' woes. The reality, however, is altogether different. The government decades back had taken up projects to reach gas to mills and factories, power plants and residential houses. In fact, it was not an act of charity then nor is it now. Millions of residents across the country have been making a rightful claim on a particular national resource in exchange for a price fixed by the government from time to time.
A couple of factors - production-demand mismatch and thousands of illegal gas connections - are primarily responsible for the present state of affairs with the gas supply situation. At the moment, the deficit in gas supply at the national level is estimated at around 750 million cubic feet per day and in the case of Dhaka the same is more than 40 million cubic feet. The situation has reportedly aggravated with the government deciding to divert more gas for power generation and more and more people taking unauthorised gas connections, particularly in the adjoining areas of Dhaka city. The Titas authorities recently dismantled a few such connections. But that could hardly stop the proliferation of illegal gas connections.
In addition to shortage of gas supply, there is a problem with distribution lines in the areas hit by gas crisis. Supply lines there are old and narrow and need to be replaced immediately. There is no denying that the government is in a catch-22 situation as far as the production, transmission and distribution of gas are concerned. If it wants to produce more power using gas, the other areas depended on gas will suffer badly. But it is essential, at the same time, to keep the cost of power generation at a low level. So, unless and until the government finds new reserves with adequate volume of gas, the problems with the use of this cheap energy source would persist. But finding a new gas reserve and ensuring its exploitation require a long time and cannot be done overnight. The prevailing circumstances demand a meticulous planning on the balanced use of available gas eliminating the unauthorised gas connections, domestic or otherwise.