A prolonged shortage of natural gas is disrupting daily life and industrial activity across Bangladesh, as reduced liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply continues to affect millions of consumers.
The decline in gas availability has left households struggling to cook meals, forced factories to scale back production and created long queues at compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations, highlighting the growing pressure on the country’s energy network.
Residents in many parts of Dhaka reported that gas pressure has remained too weak to operate household cooking stoves for much of the day.
The problem has persisted for several days, affecting both residential neighbourhoods and commercial areas.
People living in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Shyamoli, Uttara, Badda, Rampura, Jatrabari, Demra and parts of Old Dhaka said that gas either remained unavailable for long periods or returned only briefly late at night, often with insufficient pressure for normal cooking.
As a result, many families have turned to electric cookers and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, adding to household expenses at a time when the disruption continues.
Others said preparing a meal now takes considerably longer than usual, while some households have opted to buy cooked food instead.
The shortage is also affecting Bangladesh’s manufacturing sector, where many factories rely on natural gas to operate boilers and production equipment.
Business owners said reduced gas pressure has forced some factories to cut production, while others have temporarily suspended operations.
Industry representatives have warned that if the disruption continues, manufacturers could face higher operating expenses, delays in export orders and wider pressure on industrial output.
The transport sector has also felt the impact. Long queues have formed at CNG filling stations as limited gas supply has slowed refuelling operations.
Drivers of CNG-powered auto-rickshaws, microbuses and other vehicles said they had been waiting for several hours to refuel, which reduced the number of trips they could complete each day and affected their earnings.
State-owned Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company said regasified LNG supply from the Maheshkhali LNG terminals had fallen by around 450 million cubic feet per day because of a technical fault.
The company warned that consumers across its distribution network would continue to experience very low gas pressure until supplies improve.
Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Iqbal Hasan Mahmud said the situation is unlikely to return to normal immediately, estimating that it could take another 10 to 15 days before supplies stabilise.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion in Dhaka, he said LNG unloading operations had been disrupted after a fire damaged one of the country’s floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) terminals.
According to the adviser, repair work is continuing at the damaged facility. However, LNG cargoes cannot be unloaded until the terminal is restored, reducing the volume of gas entering the national grid.
The reduced supply is affecting households, industries and gas-fired power plants simultaneously, placing additional strain on Bangladesh’s energy system as authorities work to restore normal operations.
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