The residents of Dhaka’s northern suburbs are facing a familiar sense of frustration as a significant gas leak has forced an emergency shutdown of the distribution network. On Tuesday evening, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution PLC announced that a high-pressure valve failure near the Tongi Bridge in Uttara has led to a total suspension of supply across several key neighbourhoods.
Incident Details and Immediate Response
According to official statements from Titas, the leak originated from a service line valve dedicated to industrial consumers. The pressure was reportedly so intense that the valve ruptured, necessitating an immediate “shutdown” of the primary 12-inch diameter distribution pipeline.
As a safety precaution and to facilitate urgent repairs, technicians have isolated the affected segment. This has resulted in a complete loss of gas supply for residents and businesses in:
Uttara (All Sectors)
Uttarkhan
Dakshinkhan
Adjoining areas near the Tongi boundary
Titas engineers are currently on-site working to replace the compromised valve. While the company has expressed its “sincere regrets” for the inconvenience, no specific timeline for the full restoration of service has been provided.
A Month of Infrastructure Failures
This latest incident marks the third major pipeline failure in the capital within just a fortnight, raising serious questions regarding the integrity of Dhaka’s ageing gas infrastructure. The city is currently reeling from a string of technical disasters:
| Date | Location | Nature of Incident | Impacted Areas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 January | Turag Riverbed | Underwater pipeline rupture | Mirpur, Mohammadpur |
| 10 January | Ganabhaban Area | High-pressure valve burst | Central Dhaka zones |
| 14 January | Uttara (Tongi Bridge) | Industrial service valve failure | Uttara, Uttarkhan, Dakshinkhan |
The Compounding Energy Crisis
The timing of these pipeline failures could not be more unfortunate. For over a month, Dhaka has been gripped by a severe LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) shortage. Even with prices surging to nearly double the government-set rates, many households find it impossible to secure cylinders.
With the piped network failing and the backup LPG market in disarray, residents in Mirpur and Mohammadpur are still experiencing low pressure following the Turag River incident earlier this month. The repeated disruptions have left the metropolitan area in a precarious position, as the utility provider struggles to maintain a stable supply amidst what appears to be a systemic decline in hardware reliability.
