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🇸🇬 Singapore /Energy & Infrastructure

Bangladesh’s gas crisis hits factories, homes and transport

From The Straits Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • Bangladesh faces a severe natural gas crisis, leading to the shutdown of industries, power outages, and protests.
  • Major urea fertilizer plants have closed, impacting agriculture and threatening food security, while textile factories are cutting production.
  • Households are experiencing gas and electricity shortages, forcing some to use wood stoves and endure frequent blackouts amid high humidity.

Bangladesh's Ashuganj fertilizer factory, once a hub of activity producing over 1,000 tons of urea daily and employing more than 1,200 people, now stands as a silent, rusting shell. The state-owned facility has been shut since March 2025 due to a crippling natural gas shortage. This crisis, fueled by underinvestment in aging fields, reduced exploration, and disrupted imports from the Middle East amid the US-Iran war, has idled six major urea fertilizer plants.

Only the skeleton of the factory remains. It has lost its life.

— Md Bazlur RashidA former employee describes the state of the Ashuganj fertilizer factory due to the gas crisis.

"Only the skeleton of the factory remains," lamented Md Bazlur Rashid, 59, a lifelong employee. "It has lost its life." Trade union leader Md Abu Kawsar warned that the shutdowns not only cost workers their jobs but also endanger food security. He stressed the need to revive these idle factories to prevent deterioration and save foreign currency.

You cannot simply let these factories sit idle and allow them to deteriorate. Reviving them could also help save foreign currency.

— Md Abu KawsarA trade union leader expresses concern over the impact of factory shutdowns on workers and the economy.

The gas shortage's impact extends far beyond agriculture. Hundreds of factories, including vital textile plants, the backbone of Bangladesh's economy, accounting for 80 percent of export earnings, are reducing operations or closing. Power generation is hampered as plants struggle to meet demand, resulting in regular blackouts. The government has implemented electricity-saving measures, such as ordering shopping malls to close earlier.

We don’t get a drop of gas overnight. Then sometimes the pressure is too low. We can’t turn on two burners at the same time.

— Nargis BegumA housewife describes the daily struggles with gas shortages in her home.

Domestic life is equally affected. Households, which consume over a tenth of the country's gas, report no gas supply overnight and insufficient pressure to use multiple burners simultaneously. Many have resorted to wood-burning stoves. Frequent electricity cuts exacerbate the discomfort, leaving residents without fans in the oppressive humidity. "There is no let-up in our suffering," said housewife Nargis Begum, 50. "There is no guarantee of electricity. It's so hot now. Last night, there were three or four outages."

There is no let-up in our suffering. There is no guarantee of electricity. It’s so hot now. Last night, there were three or four outages.

— Nargis BegumA housewife details the hardships caused by gas and electricity shortages during hot weather.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Straits Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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