Three more gas pipelines blown up in Balochistan

Three more gas pipelines get blown up,halting the gas supply to the purification plant in the Sui gas field.

QUETTA: Three more gas pipelines were blown up in the Bugti tribal territory on Saturday, halting the gas supply to the purification plant in the Sui gas field.

According to police officials, the explosives had been planted on an eight-inch-diametre pipeline and a 16-inch-diametre gas pipeline in the Pir Koh area. Another six-inch-diametre gas pipeline was blown up near Sui.

Levies and police personnel reached the site and cordoned off the area. Pipelines are being repaired, a senior police officer said. He said that it was very likely that people from among the local community were involved in the explosions.

Over the past week, as many as eight pipelines have been blown up, including two high-pressure pipelines near Dera Murad Jamali, depriving Balochistan of natural gas. The province has gone without gas for the past four days. However, natural gas supply to Quetta and some small townships was restored on Friday, albeit with low pressure.

According to an official of the Sui Southern Gas Company, Inayatullah Ismail, gas supply to Balochistan was to be completely restored by Saturday night.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2011.