Stopping gross misuse of gas

Against the backdrop of gross misuse of gas, the projected rise in annual consumption of gas to about 1.0 Tcf within the next three to four years only sets the alarm bell ringing. Assuming an average production and supply rate of about 1.0 Tcf gas per year, the 16 Tcf of the remaining reserve (as was estimated in December, 2011) should run for about 16 years. This means that Bangladesh is likely to exhaust its gas reserve by about 2030. All these are presumptions. But the fact remains that gas is an exhaustible non-renewable resource. Although the government has signed accords with several international oil companies for exploration of hydrocarbon resources, the country will have to depend merely on chances of gas discovery.
In this context, it is worthwhile to note that the Titas Gas Limited has miserably failed to introduce meters to stop brazen misuse of gas both by households and industrial units. Although a pilot project has been executed quite successfully, the company, according to a FE report, has failed to install 600,000 pre-paid gas meters by 2013. Only 4,500 meters could be installed in two years. The authorities cite fund shortage as the reason but this logic does not hold good. The state-owned entity says it is yet to get external funding. But then should the Titas Gas rely on it at a time when billions of takas, in value terms, could be either generated or saved at home?  If a gas meter costs only Taka 5,800, consumers could easily be charged for it at a time when they are compelled to pay illegally hefty amounts of money -- in several thousands -- for new gas connections. Gas thus conserved could last for many more years.
Happily, the response from the customers covered by gas meter pilot projects has been positive. The great advantage of pre-paid meters is negative balance. The connection will not be snapped even when the balance is exhausted. Gas worth Taka 50 can be used by the consumers in the negative balance. The pre-paid meters have a system under which the users could go on using gas even after their balance is spent by pressing a button. The extra use would be adjusted to the balance when the next card is charged. The Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET) experts have already invented pre-paid meters that can greatly help reduce the wastages in using gas and electricity in the country.
Bangladesh's gas reserves are in danger of getting depleted sooner than projected. Every sector in the country is guilty of misusing gas, which is resulting in severe gas supply constraints. It is estimated that if only 1.0 per cent of efficiency can be achieved via industrial boilers, then 95 million cubic feet of gas can be saved per month. Today, about 6,000 industries consume nearly 1,020 cubic feet of gas per day -- 95 per cent of that for boilers. On the other hand, about 75 per cent of natural gas is being misused at the inefficient power plants across the country damaging valuable non-renewable natural resources. The dilapidated and old power plants have now become gas-guzzlers but the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has failed to take any measure to replace such power plants for ages. It is high time that the authorities woke up and took steps to stop huge gas misuse in different sectors. The government can take the lead in this regard.