Bangladesh's national gas system loss climbed to 7 percent of total supply in Fiscal Year 2024-25, far exceeding the regulatory limit of 2 percent. This waste amounted to 1,796 million cubic meters (mmcm) of gas, equivalent to Tk 4,107 crore (approximately $390 million USD), enough to fuel 30 lakh kitchen burners for a year.
The escalating losses, attributed to widespread theft, illegal connections, and leaks from aging pipelines, are occurring while households and industries face severe gas shortages. The volume of wasted gas in Fiscal Year 2025 alone could have funded the drilling of nearly 20 new gas wells.
Titas Gas, the largest distributor, reported the highest volumetric loss at 9.47 percent, translating to an estimated loss of Tk 3,000 crore. Titas officials acknowledged that illegal connections are rampant in key industrial areas and that anti-theft drives have had limited overall impact. Bakhrabad Gas topped the list in percentage terms with a 9.8 percent loss, mainly due to pipelines installed up to 50 years ago, and a local mentality of entitlement to illegally tap national resources.
Despite efforts to reduce the loss, official data shows a rising trend since Fiscal Year 2021, leading an adviser to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Fouzul Kabir Khan, to express frustration over the immediate re-establishment of illegal lines after eviction drives.
