Gas Shortages Hit Households as Prices Soar in Dhaka

A severe liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shortage has persisted in Bangladesh for more than three weeks, pushing prices to double while supply remains below demand. The crisis is worsened by limited piped natural gas, leaving many households struggling to cook.

City residents rely on both piped natural gas and LPG cylinders for cooking. With shortages affecting both, some are turning to electric stoves, whose prices have also risen due to high demand. Consumers have expressed frustration on social media, highlighting the widespread hardship.

Robin Hasan, a resident of Mohammadpur, said, “After paying Tk 1,080 in monthly gas bills, I still had to buy an LPG cylinder for Tk 2,500. There’s no one to see our suffering!” Other residents reported paying between Tk 2,000 and Tk 2,550 for a 12-kg cylinder, far above the government-fixed price of Tk 1,306.

More than 10 million people nationwide use LPG, which accounts for 80% of domestic cooking fuel. The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources has directed LPG imports to increase ahead of the national election and Ramadan. Twelve companies have pledged additional imports, with commitments of 167,600 tonnes for January and 184,100 tonnes for February, while average monthly demand ranges from 150,000 to 160,000 tonnes.

Piped gas supply is also under pressure. Titas Gas, the state-owned supplier for Dhaka and nearby districts, serves 2.758 million residential customers. Daily demand exceeds 1.8 billion cubic feet, but supply has fallen as low as 1.45 billion cubic feet due to maintenance at LNG terminals and ongoing system constraints. Petrobangla reports that national daily demand is 3.8 billion cubic feet, while supply has remained around 2.6 billion cubic feet, including 580 million cubic feet from LNG imports after one terminal shut down for maintenance.

Residents report long waits for LPG cylinders and low gas pressure from pipelines. Authorities say supply will gradually improve once import volumes increase and maintenance work is completed, but households continue to face cooking challenges and rising costs.