PRIME Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated on several occasions how important it is not to waste the country’s precious … limited gas resources. … Thus, the conservation of gas or stopping misuse of gas needs to be a high priority not only for the government but for the nation. A sustained publicity campaign is necessary to make people greatly aware of the … need to change their current attitude in using gas. …

The misuse and inefficient use of gas has a wider dimension. Industries or industrial processes are the biggest consumers of gas. But they would be found to be inefficient or wasteful in their consumption. In Bangladesh, some 5,700 industries consume nearly 1020mcf of gas per day. Out of the consumption, 95pc are fed by their boilers.

A government survey during the last caretaker government found that gas-fed boilers in different industries … consume 20 to 30pc extra gas due to their inefficiency and wrong operation. …

The low pressure of gas continues to be a major problem for both industrial and household users. The low pressure has been hampering production in many types of gas-based industries; specially the quality of their output is suffering due to this. …

But all of these things could be a thing of the past if there was no dilly-dallying with plans made long ago to set up three pipeline compressor stations on the gas distribution lines. The installation of the compressor stations after cleaning the lines will likely fully overcome the problems associated with low pressure of gas and pave the way for its efficient utilisation. But this vital project has been stagnating regrettably without a push given to it as a high priority. …—(May 21)