Gas Crisis Drives Dhaka Residents Towards Breakfast Shops

A severe gas shortage across Dhaka is leaving households struggling to cook, forcing many residents to rely on electric or wood-burning stoves and pushing others towards hotels and roadside eateries for their morning meals.

The impact was particularly visible in Banasree on Tuesday morning. At around 7.30am, a hotel in the capital’s F Block was crowded with customers. Some were eating at the premises, while others waited to collect takeaway breakfasts. Restaurant staff said the morning rush had increased as more households found themselves unable to prepare food at home.

Selim, an employee of a private company, said he had been eating breakfast at hotels for nearly two weeks because of the gas shortage.

“Previously, I would have breakfast at home. Now we have no choice but to depend on hotels in the morning. We use an electric stove to prepare lunch and dinner,” he said.

He added that the change had increased his household expenses and had also caused digestive problems after eating restaurant food regularly.

Abdullah, another customer at the hotel, said breakfast had always been prepared at home, but the lack of gas had disrupted that routine.

“We are using an electric stove for cooking, but preparing breakfast on it in the morning is difficult because we have to leave for work. So we are coming to hotels instead,” he said.

The situation has also created difficulties for working couples. Akbar said both he and his wife were employed and previously managed to cook breakfast before leaving for work while also preparing lunch to take with them.

That routine has now been disrupted. With the gas stove no longer working, the couple buys breakfast from a hotel in the morning and cooks dinner on an electric stove after returning home.

The additional cost is significant for a working family. Akbar said four parathas, an egg and fried lentils cost about Tk120, while adding other items can take the bill to around Tk200. He also questioned whether regularly eating outside food could provide the same level of hygiene and comfort as meals prepared at home.

Families forced to change their cooking habits

Mansur Rahman, who lives with his wife and child in a five-member household, said his family had been unable to prepare breakfast at home for nearly two weeks.

“Eating hotel food regularly is causing stomach problems, and the children do not always want to eat it. But we have no alternative,” he said.

The disruption is not confined to Banasree. Residents in several parts of the capital, including Badda, Rampura, Malibagh, Khilgaon, Dhanmondi, Mirpur and Uttara, have reported severe shortages among households connected to the Titas gas network.

Those using cylinder gas are less directly affected. For households connected to the piped gas network, however, the shortage has meant a return to alternative cooking methods.

Some families have turned to electric stoves, although this is not an affordable option for everyone. Lower-income households, unable to purchase electric cooking equipment, are resorting to wood-burning stoves.

Asma Khanam, a housewife in Banasree, said her family had been using an electric stove because the gas supply had effectively disappeared.

“We keep trying to light the stove, but there is no gas. This problem has continued for more than a month,” she said.

Selina Akter of Rampura said the situation had deteriorated further in recent days. Previously, she said, a small amount of gas could sometimes be obtained at night, but now the supply was inadequate throughout the day.

In Badda, Arifa Akter said her family had been forced to use a wood-burning stove because they could not afford an electric one.

Breakfast businesses see more customers

The shortage has created a noticeable increase in morning business for hotels and restaurants in affected neighbourhoods.

Abu Bakar, manager of Mehrin Hotel in Banasree, said morning customer numbers had risen slightly compared with the previous period.

Saiful Islam, manager of the nearby Pithamela restaurant, also reported an increase in morning customers and sales. He attributed the change directly to the gas shortage, saying many residents were unable to prepare breakfast at home and were therefore turning to restaurants.

Suman, manager of Ghoroa Restaurant, said the morning customer flow was higher than before.

For residents, however, the increase in restaurant business reflects a wider household problem rather than an improvement in consumer demand. Families that previously cooked inexpensive breakfasts at home are now having to spend additional money simply to maintain their normal morning routine.

LNG terminal problems worsen supply disruption

The gas shortage has been linked to problems affecting liquefied natural gas supplies from the floating storage and regasification units, or FSRUs, at Maheshkhali.

Bangladesh relies on two floating LNG terminals at Maheshkhali as an important part of its LNG supply system. A technical problem at one terminal recently reduced supplies. Subsequently, adverse weather disrupted normal LNG delivery from the other terminal as well.

The combined disruption has intensified pressure on the national gas supply system and contributed to worsening shortages in Dhaka.

The consequences are being felt most directly in kitchens across the capital. For households without cylinder gas, the lack of a reliable piped supply means cooking has become more time-consuming and expensive. Working families face additional pressure because preparing meals before office hours is increasingly difficult, while lower-income households have fewer affordable alternatives.

For many residents, the gas shortage has therefore changed a routine part of daily life: a breakfast once prepared at home is now being bought from a roadside hotel, while lunch and dinner increasingly depend on alternative cooking arrangements.