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The leaky gas network crisscrossing Dhaka and Narayanganj cities is up for a remake under a project worth US$1.16 billion, as experts worry about risks in the event of fires or quakes.
The ministry of power, energy and mineral resources has sent a preliminary development project proposal (PDPP) to the Economic Relations Division, in a perquisite for mobilizing foreign funding for the major project, officials have told the FE.
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd (TGTDCI) will implement the project, which is expected to save a significant volume of the priced natural gas by way of stopping leakage in distribution pipeline, the officials of the ministry said.
The ministry seeks 442.34 million US dollars out of the total cost of 1160.41 million dollars. The rest will come from government coffers.
The Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency are mentioned as the prospective sources for funding the project.
A feasibility study for the project was conducted by the IFIC.
"The primary objective of the project is to create a positive economic impact through improving low gas-pressure situation and increasing public safety," says one official.
Implementation of this project is expected to enhance gas supply to present and future customers in the capital city, Dhaka, and adjacent Narayanganj City Cooperation area under TGTDCL, thus improving low-pressure scenario, reducing gas leaks and related accidents and providing safety to public life and property.
The project is to relocate existing pipelines to ensure uninterrupted supply of environment-friendly natural gas to various categories of customers in and around the vicinities of the two cities, provide safety and enable proper maintenance of pipelines and associated facilities, protection to the public from fire accidents and improve customer service.
All the pipelines and associated facilities will be relocated in accordance with the Bangladesh Natural Gas Safety Rules 1991 (amended in 2003).
This comprehensive project also involves the integrated GIS drawings for TGTDCL's gas-distribution network in the whole of Dhaka city and Narayanganj city areas and installation of SCADA for TGTDCL's entire gas-pipeline network.
On the merit of the project the PDPP says over time, the gas- distribution pipelines got damaged and are being damaged by the construction of other utility lines of various service-providers.
"As a result, the cathodic protection system of the gas pipeline is destroyed, causing significant leakage of gas from the pipes. Gas leak has led to fire accidents and other problems, disrupting ground safety and causing serious crisis in receiving gas at the customer end," it reads.
The gas company intends to undertake the project for replacing and improving its outmoded gas network, enhancing gas supply, improving prevailing low-pressure problem by combating gas leakage and providing safety of public life and property in the command area.
These works, it says, will help meet the management challenges, and to facilitate better planning, improvement, analysis, maintenance and operation of its vast, changing and oldest gas-distribution network.
Ensuring efficient utilization of natural gas is one of the major policies of the government of Bangladesh against the backdrop of declining natural gas reserves that leads to huge import of the costly fuel, and that in the wake of the country's depleting foreign-exchange reserves.
Besides, providing security of life and property of the common people, including prevention of accidents due to gas leakage in the Titas- affiliated Dhaka and Narayanganj City Corporation areas and providing better service to the valued customers of TGTDCL are also aimed at.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com