Low pressure in CNG stations, household stoves

Repair work is going on at the gas pipeline at Daudkandi in Comilla yesterday. The work caused suspension of gas supply to some places in the capital.Photo: SK Enamul Haq

Suspension of gas supply from Saturday midnight hampered the city life, mostly in the southern parts, with low pressure of gas in the household stoves and CNG refuelling stations.
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited suspended the supply to a major part of the metropolis for 48 hours for repairing the faulty main gas-transmission line. Repair of the line began at 7:30am yesterday at Daudkandi in Comilla.
Since early morning, city dwellers found the gas pressure was zero in some places or so low that they could not cook during the whole day, while many of the CNG (compressed natural gas) refuelling stations were forced to shut down.
Regular commuters, specially the office goers, faced trouble in finding vehicles while many passengers alleged that the drivers of CNG-run three-wheelers charged high fares showing long wait in refuelling stations as cause.
Meanwhile, panic gripped the housewives on Saturday evening as they frantically made arrangements to cook the next two days' meals.
The CNG-run vehicle drivers were found queued up in the refuelling stations till late at night.
Prices of kerosene-stoves also shot up as many rushed to Karwan Bazar, New Market and elsewhere to buy these to make sure that they would not have troubles next day.
"My mother had to cook up to 3:30am yesterday," said Sarwar, a resident of Demra, adding that the supply of gas was totally zero since morning.
"I also had to give my brother a ride on my motorbike to his college in Maghbazar as he didn't find any vehicle to go there," he told The Daily Star.
Tahmina Begum, a resident of Nazimuddin Road in old part of the city, said that while gas pressure at her house was low until noon, it became zero after 1:00pm.
"The gas pressure was so low from the morning that it was not possible to cook," Shamima Sultana, a housewife at Sharulia in Demra, said.
Another housewife Shammi Akhter at Laxmibazar in old part of the city, however, said that although they had feared that there would be no gas pressure yesterday, the pressure was normal until 2:00pm.
Talking to The Daily Star, a number of residents in Uttara, Mirpur, Tejgaon, Gulshan and Maghbazar, however, said that they did not experience any problem in gas pressure.
Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association Vice President Manoranjan Bhakta said the gas pressure in many of the CNG refuelling stations was lower.
"Usually 15 pound per square inch (PSI) is required for refuelling, but it was around 5 PSI yesterday. Many stations were therefore forced to shut down," he said, adding each station refuels gas of Tk 1 to 1.5 lakh every day.
Khandakar Rafiqul Hossain Kazal, president of Association of Bus Companies, said most CNG-run buses refuelled on Saturday, which is why those could manage yesterday.
"I am afraid what will happen tomorrow [today]," he told The Daily Star. Manoranjan Bhakta echoed him.
Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for energy M Tamim said that the authorities began repairing the gas pipeline at Daudkandi and it will be complete in the scheduled time. Gas supply will be normal from Monday midnight, he added.
Gas is being diverted from the unhindered zones to the areas that were affected so that no area faces zero pressures, he told journalists at a press briefing at the Secretariat.
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited earlier announced that gas supply will be disrupted at Postagola, Zurain, Jatrabari, Dhalpur, Bibirbagicha, Gopibagh, Kamalapur, Khilgaon, Basabo, Shahjahanpur, Badda, Rampura, Ulan, Tejgaon Industrial area, Mohakhali, Gulshan, Nayatola, Madhubagh, Shantinagar, Siddheswari, Motijheel, Wari, Gendaria, Nawabpur, Sadarghat, Sutrapur, Banglabazar, Bakshibazar, Islampur, Hazaribagh and Azimpur.
In addition, gas supply in Sonargaon, Meghnaghat and Rupganj in Narayanganj, Gazaria in Munshiganj, Daudkandi, Homna and Titas in Comilla, and Banchharampur and Kachua in Chandpur came to a halt.