A severe gas shortage has gripped the nation for the past two weeks, disrupting households, industries, CNG stations, and the national power grid.

The crisis worsened following the cyclonic storm Remal, which struck on May 27.

Since then, homes have received sporadic gas supply, queues at CNG stations have grown, and industries have been forced to curtail operations due to low pressure in the supply lines.

The storm exacerbated pre-existing gas supply issues by damaging one of the country's two floating LNG terminals in the Bay of Bengal.

The Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) reports that the gas crisis has severely hampered factory production, with pressure in supply lines plummeting to near zero at some member mills.

This has caused significant damage to machinery and forced operations to cease.

The BTMA has appealed to Petrobangla for uninterrupted gas supply, highlighting that textile mills have been operating at only 40-50% capacity for months due to the crisis.

In a letter to Petrobangla, the BTMA noted that average gas pressure in member mills across various regions has remained critically low for over a month.

Mohammad Hatem, executive president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, warned that the crisis has brought knit mills to a near standstill, threatening the industry's survival if the situation persists.

Residents in the capital and surrounding areas meanwhile are struggling to cook daily meals due to the gas shortage.

Fawzia Afrin from Bosila reported having no gas access during the day. Mohaimenul Islam from Gudaraghat shared that the lack of gas has forced them to purchase LPG cylinders, adding to their expenses.

Similar situations have been reported in various areas across the capital, including Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Kathalbagan, and Moghbazar.

Petrobangla's director (operations and mines), Engineer Md Kamruzzaman, stated that the repair of the malfunctioning floating LNG terminal will take three weeks to a month, and gas supply will remain constrained until then.

Sources in the state-run body reveal that the normal LNG supply of 1,100 million cubic feet per day has dropped below 700 million cubic feet per day since Cyclone Remal hit.

The terminal shutdown has reduced supply to the national grid by 400 million cubic feet, causing significant load shedding.

Industry insiders estimate that the damage to the terminal has led to a roughly 15% decrease in gas supply to the national grid.