Citizens suffer as Karachi hit by severe gas crisis amid cold weather

• Low pressure interferes with cooking schedules at home
• SSGC blames ‘depleting indigenous gas reservoirs’ for shortages
• Admits domestic customers are facing daily gas closure from 10pm to 5am

KARACHI: Almost entire city has been grappling with a severe gas crisis amid cold winter compelling domestic consumers largely to buy expensive liquefied petroleum gas, better known as LPG.

While the gas loadshedding is scheduled from 9:30pm to 6am and 2:30pm to 5pm, most parts of the city either remain without gas most of the day or receive gas with a very low pressure.

Residents of different localities were of the view that unannounced gas loadshedding always hit the city whenever winter was round the corner. The gas crisis has aggravated since the arrival of winter in the city.

Sources in the gas utility told Dawn that the dilapidated gas distribution infrastructure across the city was also one of the major reasons behind the crisis and the low pressure was mainly caused by leakages in the distribution network.

They said that the SSGC was currently engaged in rehabilitation of its aging gas distribution infrastructure across the city to improve the supply to domestic consumers.

The sources added that major rehabilitation work on the 2,500km distribution network was underway in some thickly populated areas, including North Nazimabad, North Karachi and Lyari.

They said that the gas supply to several areas was affected due to replacement of old distribution pipelines to resolve the low pressure problems.

The sources said that gas shortage complaints at the 1199 from different parts of the city had swelled since the advent of winters.

Option of LPG cylinders

A resident of North Karachi said that there had been no gas in his area for the past one week. “Obviously, switching to LPG cylinder is the only option, though it costs more,” he added.

In Khokhrapar, a thickly populated locality in Malir, people are without gas supply for many days. Muhammad Rizwan of G Area said that there was no gas supply at all in his locality for the past one week. “I am a retired employee of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and my dues are yet to be clear, so it is very difficult for me to buy expensive LPG for cooking,” he said.

Amid shortage of gas, a resident said that the gas suction devices, rampantly used by consumers across the city, were of no use in his locality as it only sucked out air, but no gas.

On the other hand, the gas utility attributed the illegal use of suction devices to one of the reasons for low gas pressure in several localities.

Samreen Hasan, a housewife living in Saddar, said that she had switched to use of LPG long ago due to persistent gas shortage. “I have two school going children and just can’t rely on gas supply,” she said.

Salman Khan, a resident of Hijrat Colony, said that the gas company had completely failed to enhance gas supply during peak hours. “There is hardly any gas even after loadshedding hours,” he added.

The situation in Clifton and Defence House Authority was also not different to other parts of the city.

Residents said that the gas shortage had become a routine and most of them had been using LPG for cooking and baking for a long time.

“I haven’t used my stove connected to SSGC line for ages,” said Durreshahwar, a resident of Clifton.

Surge in LPG sale

The acute shortage of natural gas also led to surge in sale of the LPG.

Vice-chairman of All Pakistan LPG Marketers Association Muhammad Ali Haider told Dawn that the last week witnessed a remarkable increase in the sale and use of the LPG.

He said that the total requirement of the LPG had been around 12 tonnes, but it increased to 16 to 17 tonnes during the past few days.

Explaining the recent increase in the LPG price in the city, he said that it fluctuated as the LPG sector was not regulated at the retail level.

He said that the city administration was responsible for ensuring price control, but it was not practical due to short number of administration officers in comparison with thousands of LPG retail shops selling the commodity at the price of their own choice.

Meanwhile, the provincial government and opposition parties also expressed concern over the ongoing gas crisis in the city and other parts of the province.

‘No loadshedding in SSGC’s franchise areas’

The gas utility spokesman said that the SSGC was continuously experiencing gas shortages due to the yearly depletion of indigenous gas reservoirs.

He said that SSGC gas supplies had been reduced by 40 per cent since FY 2017-18.

The spokesman added that there was no gas loadshedding in SSGC’s franchise areas, particularly in the domestic sector.

“However, as part of the gas load management strategy (as per internationally implemented practices) a night-time gas closure / pressure profiling from 10pm to 5am is being executed in the domestic sector to maintain our line-packs for the subsequent day’s good pressure and for managing /consuming the saved volumes of indigenous natural gas to be utilized during the peak / cooking hours,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2024