Gas crisis goes on

Holiday staggering system fails to improve situation
The city dwellers have got little respite from persisting gas crisis despite some government initiatives including holiday gas staggering system, reports The Daily Star.
Residents of different areas of the capital alleged that the crisis remains almost the same, and they continue to suffer for this.
The areas include parts of Mirpur, Pallabi, Moghbazar, Uttara, Mohammadpur, Mugdapara, Bashabo, Gendaria, Jatrabari, Golapbagh and Rayerbagh.
The government introduced the gas staggering system last month to ease gas crisis in the capital.
Fatima Akhtar Bristi, a resident of Greenway area in Moghbazar, said gas crisis continues from 6:00am to 11:00pm every day over the last four months. It has not only increased sufferings of her family but also increased monthly expenditure.
“I have to spend additional Tk 1,500 every month for using fire wood for cooking,” said Fatima.
She mentioned that she could not use LP gas for cooking as it would require around Tk 5,000 initially and then about Tk 1,100 every month.
Amena Begum of Mohammadbagh in Rayerbagh area, said, “I have to start cooking at 4:00am and complete it by 8:30am when gas supply goes off every day.”
Besides, CNG-run vehicles in many areas of the city are facing problems due to suspension of service at filling stations for six to 10 hours a day due to low pressure of gas in the supply line that started at the beginning of winter.
Md Haidar Alamgir, sub-assistant engineer at a filling station at South Jatrabari, said they have been keeping their operation suspended from 9:00am to 2:30pm and 7:00pm to 10:00pm every day except Friday and Saturday since the advent of winter.
He said gas crisis is causing them a loss of around Tk 10,000 a day. If this situation continues, the filling station will have to be shut down.
All the 13 filling stations between Jatrabari bridge and Jurain level crossing remain shut for about 8-10 hours every day, he mentioned.
Iman Sheikh, ambulance driver of a private sector hospital, said yesterday he had to move from one filling station to another for more than half an hour. At times, it endangers patients’ lives, he added.
Contacted, Md Khalid Hasan, general manager (operation) of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd, said the holiday staggering system has achieved little success.
“We could save 20 to 30 mmcfd from staggering around 536 mmcfd gas, and this could hardly reduce the crisis in the city,” he said.
Khalid noted that gas crisis in Dhaka could be solved if a compressor was installed at Ashuganj but it may take around two-and-a-half years to complete the process if everything goes smoothly.
To reduce wastage of gas, prepaid metre system is going to be introduced, he said. “We will install 5,000 meters soon, and then another 8,600 meter with Asian Development Bank funding.”
The Titas official went on, “There are around 15 lakh domestic gas connections in the country, of which 10 lakh are in Dhaka. We have plans to bring all these connections under the new meter system gradually.”
Mentioning that domestic gas user waste gas, he said wastage of gas or misuse of gas would reduce drastically once the prepaid meters are installed.

Courtesy of The Daily Star