Inadequate supply blamed for gas crisis in city
Sunday, 17 January 2010
FHM Humayan Kabir
The government has spent Tk 3.45 billion on laying pipelines, but not enough of gas is flowing through them to improve supply in Dhaka city.
Officials said the low pressure still persists because of loopholes in implementation of the project and shortfall in planned production.
Titas Gas has laid 100-kilometre 16-inch diametre distribution pipeline at a cost of Tk 1.04 billion and the GTCL installed 60-km 20-inch diameter pipeline from Dhanua-Ashulia-Aminbazar at a cost of Tk2.41 billion a year ago to improve the gas supply in the city.
But Titas officials said the Dhaka city and adjoining areas are getting an additional 130 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) against 200 mmcfd earmarked for supply on completion of the pipeline projects.
But the government's project monitoring body -- Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) -- said the executing agencies have failed to connect the newly set up transmission line with the distribution line in time affecting the gas supply.
"During a visit to the project site in July last year we did not find the connection of the GTCL's transmission line with Titas's distribution line at Aminbazar point. This is the major reason for gas crisis in the city," a senior IMED official told the FE.
Director (Operation) of the TGTDCL Engr. Khalid Hassan told the FE "We are getting nearly 130mmcf of gas through the new system instead of 200mmcf. Most of which are consumed by the industries in the Savar, Ashulia, Joydevpur areas."
The capital city has been facing acute gas supply crunch over the last couple of month, which turned further worse on the onset of the winter a month ago.
Different areas including Mirpur, Kallayanpur, Agargaon, Shewrapara, Kazipara, Mohammadpur, Basabo, Rampura and old city are the worst affected by the supply fall as the areas do not get any gas from morning to evening, badly affecting household works, industrial production and operation of CNG stations.
Officials of the Dhaka city's gas distributor Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd (TGTDCL) said gas supply situation in the capital has become vulnerable over the last few years as the company has been getting inadequate gas from the Petrobangla against a growing demand from the CNG stations, industries and other commercial and domestic users.
Khalid Hassan said Titas has no means at this moment to improve the gas supply situation in the city.
Titas Gas has laid 93-km distribution lines and the GTCL Dhanua-Aminbazar-Ashulia transmission line, but those have fail to ease the situation in the city because of inadequate gas supply and low pressure, he said.
Titas Gas can supply maximum 200mmcfd of gas against the demand for 230-240mmcfd in the Dhaka city, he said.
The Titas's director said installation of compressors and production of more gas can only ensure smooth gas supply to the city.
The IMED official said Titas Gas completed the 100-km pipeline project in June 2007 without connecting it with the GTCL's transmission line at Tongi and Aminbazar crossing at the Turag river.
Hassan said the contractor failed to lay Turag river-crossing pipelines in Tongi and Aminbazar points by June 2007, the stipulated tine.
"We have later completed the river-crossing. Now the pipeline has been connected with the GTCL's transmission line in Tongi and Aminbazar points. But as the gas supply from the Petrobangal is inadequate against demand, the capital is facing the pressure crisis."
GTCL's managing director M Aminur Rahman told the FE they had completed the project two years ago and gas started flowing through the Titas's distribution line.
The government has spent Tk 3.45 billion on laying pipelines, but not enough of gas is flowing through them to improve supply in Dhaka city.
Officials said the low pressure still persists because of loopholes in implementation of the project and shortfall in planned production.
Titas Gas has laid 100-kilometre 16-inch diametre distribution pipeline at a cost of Tk 1.04 billion and the GTCL installed 60-km 20-inch diameter pipeline from Dhanua-Ashulia-Aminbazar at a cost of Tk2.41 billion a year ago to improve the gas supply in the city.
But Titas officials said the Dhaka city and adjoining areas are getting an additional 130 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) against 200 mmcfd earmarked for supply on completion of the pipeline projects.
But the government's project monitoring body -- Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) -- said the executing agencies have failed to connect the newly set up transmission line with the distribution line in time affecting the gas supply.
"During a visit to the project site in July last year we did not find the connection of the GTCL's transmission line with Titas's distribution line at Aminbazar point. This is the major reason for gas crisis in the city," a senior IMED official told the FE.
Director (Operation) of the TGTDCL Engr. Khalid Hassan told the FE "We are getting nearly 130mmcf of gas through the new system instead of 200mmcf. Most of which are consumed by the industries in the Savar, Ashulia, Joydevpur areas."
The capital city has been facing acute gas supply crunch over the last couple of month, which turned further worse on the onset of the winter a month ago.
Different areas including Mirpur, Kallayanpur, Agargaon, Shewrapara, Kazipara, Mohammadpur, Basabo, Rampura and old city are the worst affected by the supply fall as the areas do not get any gas from morning to evening, badly affecting household works, industrial production and operation of CNG stations.
Officials of the Dhaka city's gas distributor Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd (TGTDCL) said gas supply situation in the capital has become vulnerable over the last few years as the company has been getting inadequate gas from the Petrobangla against a growing demand from the CNG stations, industries and other commercial and domestic users.
Khalid Hassan said Titas has no means at this moment to improve the gas supply situation in the city.
Titas Gas has laid 93-km distribution lines and the GTCL Dhanua-Aminbazar-Ashulia transmission line, but those have fail to ease the situation in the city because of inadequate gas supply and low pressure, he said.
Titas Gas can supply maximum 200mmcfd of gas against the demand for 230-240mmcfd in the Dhaka city, he said.
The Titas's director said installation of compressors and production of more gas can only ensure smooth gas supply to the city.
The IMED official said Titas Gas completed the 100-km pipeline project in June 2007 without connecting it with the GTCL's transmission line at Tongi and Aminbazar crossing at the Turag river.
Hassan said the contractor failed to lay Turag river-crossing pipelines in Tongi and Aminbazar points by June 2007, the stipulated tine.
"We have later completed the river-crossing. Now the pipeline has been connected with the GTCL's transmission line in Tongi and Aminbazar points. But as the gas supply from the Petrobangal is inadequate against demand, the capital is facing the pressure crisis."
GTCL's managing director M Aminur Rahman told the FE they had completed the project two years ago and gas started flowing through the Titas's distribution line.