Why households pay for little or no gas 

For nearly 35 days, residents in parts of Dhanmondi and many other areas in capital Dhaka have received little or no gas, yet monthly gas bills continue to arrive. Many households are now paying twice, once for a service they say they are not receiving and again for LPG, electricity used for cooking or prepared food.

Sani Rahman, a Dhanmondi resident, said his family has been using an electric heater because of the prolonged gas shortage. Despite barely receiving gas, the family paid around Tk 1,100 in its monthly post-paid gas bill for a double-burner stove.

His electricity bill, meanwhile, increased by nearly Tk 2,500 because of additional electricity consumption for cooking.

“We are paying the gas bill on one hand and an additional electricity bill on the other. This is creating a serious financial burden for households,” Sani told the Daily Observer.

The situation is similar in several other parts of Dhaka.

Amena Begum, a resident of South Shahjahanpur, said her family had been forced to buy LPG because gas was no longer available.

“Previously, gas was available in this area from around midnight until 6am. Now there is virtually no gas at all. We have had to buy LPG to cook,” she said.

Raisul Karim, a resident of Lake Circus in Kalabagan, said his family had received virtually no gas for about a month.

“We are not getting gas, but we still have to pay the gas bill. It is embarrassing and frustrating for us,” he said.

For Mohsin Ali Khan of Mirpur, the crisis has gone even further. His family has been relying on hotel food throughout August because they cannot cook regularly at home.

“We cannot properly provide meals for our young children. So we have been eating food from hotels throughout August. It is increasing our expenses and has also created health concerns,” he said.

The experiences of these residents raise a fundamental question: if consumers receive little or no gas for weeks, why are they still being charged regular bills?

The gas shortage is forcing households to spend additional money on LPG cylinders, electric stoves and prepared food. For low- and middle-income families, the extra expenditure is becoming a significant financial burden.

Recent estimates suggest that Bangladesh's daily gas demand is around 3,800-4,000 million cubic feet (mmcfd), against average national grid supply of about 2,600 mmcfd.

The resulting shortfall is approximately 1,200-1,400 mmcfd, or around 30-35 per cent of total demand.

However, the crisis cannot be explained by production shortages alone. Ageing pipelines, weaknesses in the distribution network, system losses, illegal connections and growing dependence on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) are also contributing to the problem.

According to 2025 figures, Titas Gas recorded system losses of 10.53 per cent, while Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company recorded losses of 13.60 per cent.
Experts say system losses may include technical losses as well as losses linked to illegal connections and gas theft. If significant quantities of gas disappear within the distribution network, simply increasing production or imports may not ensure better supplies for legitimate consumers.

The scale of illegal connections also raises questions. During drives conducted over only two months in 2024, Titas Gas disconnected 7,004 illegal connections and removed nearly 40 kilometres of illegal pipelines.