Editorial
Gas crisis needs addressing
Rationalising its use is an option
THE capital city is going through the worst kind of gas crisis. In the past, too, the city experienced occasional gas scarcity. But road digging or other causes of local nature had to do with those cases of disruptions. Compared to those, the present crisis appears to be more acute and pervasive as new areas of the capital city are going through the ordeal of constricted supply of gas upsetting the pattern of the residents' everyday life.
While the city-dwellers are smarting from this dislocation in several parts of the metropolis, the authorities in charge of supplying the gas to the households or to other users seem to have resigned to a state of fatalism, as there is hardly any effort visible at ameliorating the city-people's sufferings.
The authorities concerned obviously need to stir themselves into action, if they mean to manage, if not entirely solve, the ongoing shortage in the gas supply situation in the country. At the same time, the users should be circumspect about any wasteful use of gas at their household connections and consciously avoid it.
Admittedly, there is an ever-widening gap between demand and supply of gas -- the present shortage being between 250 and 300 mmcfd -- due mainly to its scarcity at the source, that is, at the production level. But in spite of its limited supply, the number of its diversified users is growing by the day.
But there is no reason why the users won't be able to adjust to exigencies, provided they are sufficiently informed of the situation and taken into confidence about the management plan that should have been put in place. Such information would help the users plan their use better and thereby avoid disruptions in their regular work schedules.
It may be recalled here that in the face of persistent gas crisis in the city and its adjoining areas, Petrobangla earlier informed that it was planning to place a proposal to the ministry concerned about 'holiday staggering' of the gas supply to industries in different parts of the country.
The city-residents, hit by biting winter, are in a state of double jeopardy in the face of further deepening of gas crisis. They are looking for an early decision from the government about its plan on holiday staggering of the gas supply, if any.
The authorities would do well to take this ever-diminishing quantity of gas in the supply lines as an early warning for the impending gas crunch. Though the ultimate answer to this problem lies in the longer plan of exploring more gas fields, in the immediate term the priorities seem to be rationalising of gas use through introducing gas rationing and taking other measures as necessary in view of the increasing demands for gas in different sectors of the economy.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments