Pakistan: Gas crisis makes lives of people miserable in Karachi

ISLAMABAD: An aggravated gas crisis across Karachi, particularly over the past three days of Ramzan, has made the life of people miserable as supply remained unavailable even at Sehri and Iftar timings, Dawn reported. Burning wood and costly LPG cylinders were the only options left for domestic consumers due to the gas crisis. On Thursday, angry people took to the streets in some parts of the city and spoke against the Sui Southern Gas Company for piling miseries on them during Ramzan, as per the Dawn report. Complaints like very low pressure or no supply of gas at Sehri and Iftar timings kept on pouring in from every known locality of the city.

The gas utility's complaint service, 1199, seemed not accessible. The people who could connect to the complaint service were told by the attendants that they did not have any information regarding any scheduled or unscheduled load shedding in any part of the city. People also wrote about prolonged load-shedding in Karachi on social media sites, including Twitter and Facebook. Saleem Akhtar Siddiqui, a resident of Clifton, in his tweet asked as to why the corrupt mafia of SSGC was carrying out load shedding of gas to consumers in his locality behind Standard Chartered Bank in Boat Basin, as per the Dawn report. He wrote, "All sort of unannounced load shedding is contempt of the orders of honourable Supreme Court."

Pakistan's government had planned 16 hours of gas load-shedding in December for domestic consumers, who would be supplied gas for three hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon and three hours in the evening due to a shortage of gas during winter, according to the news report. The gas utility had assured people that gas would be supplied during Sehri and Iftar timings during the month of Ramzan. In some regions, like Gulistan-i-Jauhar and Gulshan-i-Iqbal, gas was supplied during these timings, however, the pressure remained low.

Iqra Shah, a resident said, "We just can't burn over stoves unless we use gas suction device." As the pressure remained very low wherever gas was supplied, SSGC spokesperson Salman A. Siddiqui in a tweet cautioned consumers against the use of the gas suction devices. People said that the provincial government was sitting like a silent spectator while consumers were facing problems in performing their religious obligation of fasting during Ramzan. Samreen Hassan, a resident of Saddar, said that no gas was being supplied to her locality before sehri and iftar.

The Sindh Energy Minister said that the gas production from Sindh was between 2,700 to 3,000 mmcfd, as per the Dawn report. However, the SSGC was providing less than 900 mmcfd to the province. He said that they have taken up the matter with the concerned authorities but to no avail. He added that the provincial government will again raise the issue with the federal government.