The use of LPG cylinders in households has increased a lot in Bangladesh. Caution and awareness in LPG use is hence more important than before. Besides, it is important for the government to pay attention to this sector with policy support.
The issues came up in a round table discussion on ‘Impact of LPG as a clean fuel on health and safety’ organized by Omera, Bangladesh’s largest LP gas operator.
The symposium, held at Omera’s corporate offices on World Health and Safety Day, aimed to help meet the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) goal of raising awareness and support for safe and healthy workplaces worldwide. The roundtable discussion on the theme ‘Ensuring Safety and Health at Work in a Changing Climate’, discussed the current growth of the LPG sector in Bangladesh and various regulations in this sector. Various health and safety implications of LPG are also explored.
Chairman of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Mr. Nurul Amin presided over the round table meeting. The meeting was moderated by Omera LPG Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tanjim Chowdhury.
Besides, in the round table meeting, Helal Uddin NDC, BERC Member (Gas); Mohammad Farooq Hossain, Chief Inspector, Directorate of Explosives; Md Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, BFM, Deputy Director (Operations and Maintenance) Directorate of Fire Service and Civil Defence; Major (Eng.) Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury (Retd.), Member (Development), RAJUK; Liaquat Ali Bhuiyan, Senior Vice-President, Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB); Imran Hasan, Secretary General, Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association; Zaheer Khan, President, Chefs Federation of Bangladesh; HM Hakim Ali, President, Bangladesh International Hotel Association and Mohammad Ahsanul Jabbar, Secretary General, LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB) participated in the panel discussion.
The discussion of the speakers at the meeting revealed that the impact of LPG on environment and health is profound and positive. Compared to other fossil fuels such as coal and oil, LPG emits significantly less pollutants. 33 percent less than coal and 12 percent less carbon dioxide than oil. In terms of environmental conservation, just one metric ton of LPG can save the environment equivalent of 47 full-grown trees, helping to reduce deforestation. Besides, LP gas cooking does not produce smoke. It not only reduces the exposure to harmful pollution, but also reduces the risk to health. Overall, LP gas is a sustainable and healthy fuel for both environment and people.
Factors such as cross-filling, inadequate awareness about LPG usage, misinformation in media communication and improper design and installation of LPG systems have been identified as constraints in the LPG sector in Bangladesh.
While speaking as the President of the program, Chairman of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Nurul Amin said, once the village mothers used to get covered in smoke while cooking. I saw my mother’s tears in the smoke from cooking with wood. Village housewives got relief from that suffering after LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) cylinder came. We want the use of LPG to increase at a greater rate.
Nurul Amin said, I found the transportation and storage method of LPG to be safe during the on-site inspection. BERC announces new LPG prices in the first week of every month. As we have seen, only Omera sells LPG at BERC fixed price. I thank the Omera authorities for this.
BERC Chairman Nurul Amin also said that we will formulate rules and guidelines to make LPG use safe. In order to create responsibility as well as awareness in this regard. This sector has unlimited potential. So, sector wise planning is very important.
Mentioning that there is a huge market for LPG in the country, the BERC chairman said, “Earlier we used to see fish market in villages, later we saw tree market.” Now we see LPG market at rural level.
He announced to organize a workshop with stakeholders, businessmen and others related to the sector.
Speakers at the event said that the use of LPG cylinders in homes in Bangladesh has increased a lot. So, caution and awareness in LPG use is more important than before. Besides, it is important for the government to pay attention to this sector with policy support.
Mohammad Farooq Hossain, chief inspector of the Directorate of Explosives, said that in many cases negative propaganda is done about LPG cylinders without knowing. In the last two and a half months, including the Bailey Road accident, cylinder explosions were mentioned in three major incidents in Dhaka and Gazipur, but we did not find any signs or proofs of cylinder explosion. Its use may be questioned, but the quality of the cylinder is not much questioned. Besides, according to the international guidelines, the cylinders are re-tested after a certain period (re-test after 10 years).
Emphasizing the usage rules and warnings on each cylinder, he said that many operators have been given LPG licenses at present. These operators have numerous distributors. He called upon the distributors to be more responsible especially in transportation and storage of LPG.
RAJUK Member (Development) Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury (retd) said that in constructing buildings, RAJUK has long ago made a separate structure for gas cylinders. RAJUK has plans to make gas tanks in the future.
LOAB Secretary General Mohammad Ahsanul Jabbar said that LPG can be one of the main businesses of the country in the future. There is an investment of about 40 thousand crore taka in this sector. However, this industry is almost entirely dependent on imports. Only 2 percent is produced in the country. The consumption of LPG in the country has increased manifold in a decade. In 2019, the consumption has increased to around 1 million tons and the number of customers has also increased to 3.8 million. In 2009, the demand was only 47 thousand tons. The demand is expected to rise to 3 million tons in 2030.
According to the LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB) forecast, LPG demand is expected to grow at an annual rate of around 7.4% till 2030. As natural gas reserves are depleting and LPG prices are fluctuating, the industrial sector is showing increasing interest in using LPG as an alternative fuel source. The average monthly market size of LPG in Bangladesh is about one and a half lakh metric tons. Out of this, the main 4 operators including Omera are meeting more than 50 percent of the total demand.
It was informed at the event, Omera is always dedicated to sustainable solutions at all levels of the LPG sector, from individuals to households to industries. Bangladesh has already adopted LPG as a dependent fuel. Omera is therefore poised to meet the country’s growing energy needs by prioritizing health, safety and environmental sustainability.
It was also informed on the occasion that Omera is the largest LP gas operator in the country. As part of social responsibility, the company is implementing various programs aimed at improving the quality of workers in this sector and increasing the awareness of customers. These include, safety training for chefs, consumer awareness programs, safety signs, call centers aimed at providing prompt service. The company’s call center number is 16797, which is the number to get information about any service related to LPG.
In addition, Omera is conducting various activities to raise awareness to create safe and healthy workplaces globally in a changing climate. In addition, with the aim of increasing customer awareness, Omera constantly promotes awareness messages for customers through television, social media, etc.
It may be noted that, National Occupational Health and Safety Day is celebrated on April 28 every year. This year’s theme of the day was ‘healthy workers, decent work environment, will build smart Bangladesh’. The International Labor Organization has been celebrating this day on April 28 since 2003 to create global awareness about occupational health and safety.