In the absence of natural gas supply, people were left with no option but to use firewood to cope with biting Siberian winds lashing central and northern parts of the province, or for cooking.
The price of the traditional bread, or nan, doubled in Quetta as bakers used firewood for heating ovens in sub-zero temperatures.
Streets of Quetta wore a deserted look as most of the city’s population preferred to stay at home. Most shopping and business centres in Quetta opened late in the day and closed well before sunset in the absence of customers. Lack of heating caused problems not just for patients admitted to hospitals, but surgeons were also forced to use electricity to sterilise equipment.
According to reports originating from Dera Bugti, another eight-inch-diameter gas pipeline was partially damaged in an explosion in the Sui area.
Sources said that the pipeline carried gas from well No 16. However, gas field authorities said that the supply to the gas plant was not disrupted.
Sources in Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) said that a technical team of Sui had repaired the 18-inch-diameter pipeline. An explosion had destroyed a 400-foot section of the high-pressure pipeline near Dera Allahyar.
Officials said that the gas supply was likely to be restored some time after midnight on Saturday.
The incident resulted in disruption of gas supply to the entire province. As many as four gas pipeline have been blown up over the past four days in the Bugti tribal territory and Dera Allahyar.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 16th, 2011.
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