Waste not, want not. It seems the adage does not work at all particularly in the gas sector. We are startled to learn from a report run by a local English daily on Friday that in fiscal year 25, the country wasted around 1,790 million cubic meters (mmcm) of gas worth TK 4,107 core based on the current average retail price. This lost quantity of gas was enough to keep 30 lakh kitchen burners alight for an entire year, but this went up in smoke as system losses in FY 2024-25.
In Bangladesh, system loss in gas distribution refers to theft and illegal connections, leaks from old pipelines, damage during maintenance, metering errors, and above all mismanagement. The loss in FY 25 alone could finance the drilling of nearly 20 new gas wells or the construction of two or three power plants with a combined capacity of 400 to 500 megawatts.
The report reveals that currently about 174 mmcfd of gas is being lost every day and this happens at a time when households struggle to cook three meals a day and industries face production cut due to meagre gas supply. People are very frequently smarting from gas crunch which proves to be a portent of the disaster that is to come.
The gas crisis in Dhaka city and adjacent areas and Narayanganj has been worsening day by day. Shortage and erratic supply of gas have created acute problems for people. Sometimes the residents have to buy food as home cooked meals cannot be prepared. The affluent deal with the problem as they can afford to buy mechanical contrivances like gas cylinders, electric or induction cookers. But the rest have to wait for hours for the gas supply or depend on earthen cooker.
This is the exasperating aspect of the household and commercial gas consumers. Gas crisis is stalling the industrial growth and even deterring new investments. Since the relation between the industrial advancement and energy supply is inextricably linked, there cannot be any grey area as regards energy supply.
It is a big surprise that despite the persisting gas crunch TK 4000 crore gas was either lost or wasted. The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) allows a maximum systems loss of 2 percent, but it stood at around 7 percent of the average daily supply of 2,526 million cubic feet in FY 25. At a recent event the adviser to the Ministry of power, energy and mineral resources, voiced frustration as the efforts to reduce systems losses were a fiasco. “Illegal gas lines are being set up immediately after the drives end and pipelines are evicted”, he said. Of the six state-owned gas distributors, Titas gas reported the highest system loss in terms of volume, reaching 9.47 percent in FY 25.Titas, which supplies gas to Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions lost an estimated TK 3,000 crore to system loss last fiscal years. According to Titas officials, illegal connections are rampant in Dhaka and in industrial belts across Narayanganj, Savar, Gazipur and Munshiganj.
In view of the gas shortage, new residential connections have remained suspended since 2009. It then raised brows as to why there should be such a massive theft or loss of gas. Ongoing gas crisis will obviously act to discourage foreign investments and industrial growth will be stalled to a great extent. There should be immediate anti-robust drive against theft and old leaking pipelines should be replaced. It does not brook any delay.
