DHAKA: Chronic gas shortages in Bangladesh, already compounded by the Middle East war, have worsened after an industrial accident disrupted supplies, affecting homes, businesses and key sectors such as the textile industry.
Jubaida Anjum Saba, an NGO worker in the capital Dhaka who cooks for her extended family of 10 people, told AFP that “we haven’t been getting cooking gas since Wednesday”.
That has left her “switching from one option to another, like sometimes using an induction stove, and at other times the clay oven” which she bought a few years ago for special occasions but now has to arrange firewood to use, she said.
Bangladesh has long grappled with an energy crisis, but the US-Iran conflict since February has exacerbated it, dealing a major blow to the South Asian country’s economy.
And on Wednesday, things took a turn for the worse when a fire hit one of Bangladesh’s two storage and regasification units in Moheshkhali.
Long queues have returned at the pump, with a popular ride-hailing app, Obhai, saying it has been receiving complaints from drivers of gas-run auto-rickshaws about the time it takes to refill.
The interruption is also likely to hit electricity generation, which is largely dependent on gas.
Md Rafiqul Islam of state-run energy firm Petrobangla told AFP they were “not sure” when gas supplies would return to normal.
Bangladesh currently imports about 30 percent of its natural gas needs.
According to Petrobangla sources, total gas demand is around 3.8 billion cubic feet per day, while daily supply had stood at 2.7 billion cubic feet since last year.
Following this week’s accident, supply has fallen further to 2.15 billion cubic feet a day.
Factories, especially the country’s flagship export sector of readymade garment manufacturing, appear to be among the biggest losers from the ongoing crisis.
“Dozens of factories are sitting idle for want of gas,” Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told AFP.
Factory owners say they mostly depend on captive electricity generation, as the grid electricity they receive is often of poor quality, with voltage fluctuations frequently damaging machinery.
“For the last 10 days, the captive power plants have been almost idle, and the impact will be disastrous,” delaying shipments and denting profits, Hatem said.
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