The people of the port city have suffering a lot after the sudden suspension in gas supply since early Friday.
Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL) officials claimed that the crisis was created due to a technical glitch at the LNG terminal in Moheshkhali.
However, they could not provide any specific information regarding when the supply will be restored to ease the suffering of the city dwellers.
As the gas supply was suspended without any prior notice, residents fell into a deep crisis in conducting their household chores.
As many could not cook food, long queues have been seen in front of eateries since morning.
Besides, CNG-refuelling stations have also been kept shut, causing trouble for the gas-run vehicles.
According to KGDCL General Manager (Operations) Aminur Rahman , the gas supply was halted since midnight due to a technical glitch at the LNG terminal.
He also said,“A team from Singapore has arrived to solve the problem.”
He told that it can take up to one to two days to fix the glitch.
Local sources said, the gas crisis has particularly hit the city hard, as people are facing acute food shortages as they are unable to cook.
KGDCL General Manager (Operations) Aminur Rahman said, “We hope the glitch will be fixed by 10pm. Work is currently underway, and gas supply has been reinstated in certain areas. However, there is a noticeable reduction in pressure.”
The city relies heavily on imported LNG, and officials said the disruption was caused by issues with the converters used in the underwater pipeline at Maheshkhali in Cox's Bazar.
One of the converters, undergoing maintenance since November, was recommissioned on Thursday (18 January).
Concurrently, the other converter was taken offline for maintenance. At the same time, the newly recommissioned converter failed because its generator stopped working, leading to a supply halt.
The gas cut-off has also affected Chattogram's major industrial and commercial sectors, including fertiliser plants, power plants, and other gas-dependent industries.
Previously, during gas shortages, gas from Sylhet and Cumilla regions was routed through the Ashuganj-Bakhrabad pipeline to bring to Chattogram.
However, since the start of LNG imports, this pipeline was modified to be one-way, meaning gas can only be supplied from Chattogram.
With no gas coming into the city, many have resorted to eating out, leading to crowded eateries and roadside food stalls.
Some reports indicate price hikes, with vendors charging extra under the pretext of using cylinder gas for cooking.
Advocate Joysree Nandi, a resident of Bakolia in the city, said that there is no gas in the stove even for two hours during the whole day. Now completely closed. It was noteven at night. I had to eat rice from the hotel. Many are using electric stoves, rice cookers. They had to eat dry food without any other option.
Nely Sarkar, a resident of Teribazar, said that she had never experienced such suffering. The gas supply in the whole of Chittagong is the same. A little bit of gas has come, I have done some work with it, I am thinking about how to eat at night.
A private company official on condition of annonimity told that he had to spend Tk 210 to buy biryani which usually costs Tk110 from a hotel near Oxygen intersection. Even if they take extra money, we have to survive somehow.”
Abdus Salam, a shopkeeper at the city's Enayet Bazar intersection, said, "There is usually less bread on Fridays with bakeries remaining closed. All of the bread we kept aside to sell with butter in the evening got sold out. There is no gas, so people took all the bread in the morning."
Md Shamsujjaman, owner of Cafe Layla at Kazir Dewri intersection, said, "On Fridays, offices and courts remain closed. So we prepare less breakfast. But due to the lack of gas, people are queuing up. We are cooking lunch with gas cylinders."
Public transport also suffered a blow due to the shortage in gas supply, leading to complaints about increased fares.
Drivers said they needed to wait in long queues for only a small amount of gas. Even if their vehicles run out of gas, they still have to pay the full day's rent to the vehicle owners.
"There are no vehicles on the road. We have waited in long queues for gas, and still couldn't get enough per our requirement. Since we have taken out the vehicle, we have to pay the full rent to the owner. That's why we are charging Tk10 instead of the usual Tk5 fare," said a helper of a minibus operating on the New Market-Fateyabad route in the city.
Since only one converter remained operational, the gas pressure in Chattogram has been low since last November.
Additionally, there was a severe gas crisis in industrial factories and business establishments.
The reduction in gas supply has disrupted production in factories. Owners are continuing production using alternative fuels like diesel and furnace oil, which has increased production costs.
Officials have stated that if the LNG supply is not ensured through both pipelines, there is no possibility of normalising the gas situation in Chattogram before March or April.
"While the daily LNG supply is usually 800 million cubic feet, it has dropped by about 40% to 500 million cubic feet in January," said Md Shah Alam, the general manager (LNG) of Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL).
According to Petrobangla, the daily gas demand in the country is 4,000 million cubic feet.
However, the current supply has dropped below 2,500 million cubic feet.
LNG is imported from the spot market (open market). Due to the dollar crisis, LNG imports are now lower than usual.
Moreover, the officials informed that the ongoing maintenance work at the LNG terminal has further exacerbated the crisis.
