Residents across Chattogram city are facing severe hardship due to a sudden disruption in gas supply, caused by adverse weather conditions affecting the national grid.
The unexpected outage, which came without prior notice, left households without gas from early Thursday morning, severely impacting daily life and prompting frustration among citizens.
From early morning, households in areas including Kattoli, Khulshi, Agrabad, Halishahar, Bahaddarhat, Chandgaon, Mohora, Bakalia, Chawkbazar, and Muradpur reported a complete lack of gas. With stoves rendered inoperable, many residents were forced to rely on local tea stalls and restaurants for breakfast and lunch, leading to overcrowding and increased expenses.
“We woke up and found there was no gas. I couldn’t prepare tiffin for my children or cook lunch. We had no choice but to buy food from outside,” said Fatema Begum, a homemaker from Chandgaon residential area. “Shutting down the gas without any notice is no way to run a country.”
Md. Rahman, a resident of North Kattoli, echoed the distress, stating, “There was no way to make breakfast at home. I had to buy food from outside. We haven’t been told why this happened or when it will be fixed. If we need to buy lunch too, that’s an extra Tk 700 to 1,000—a heavy burden for many of us.”
According to officials from Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL), the disruption is due to reduced gas supply from the national grid, affected by ongoing inclement weather and issues at the LNG terminal.
Engr. Maksudur Rahman, KGDCL’s General Manager (Operations), said, “Chattogram normally requires around 300 million cubic feet of gas daily. At present, we are receiving only 190 to 200 million cubic feet, resulting in a shortfall of about 100 million cubic feet.”
