Winter woes: Gas crisis exacerbates K-P residents’ problems

Summer months spent without electricity for hours on end, similarly winter season spent without gas

PESHAWAR:

The magnitude of the country’s power crisis is such that summer months are spent without electricity for hours on end and similarly winter season is spent without gas. Consequently, just as the prices of generators go up during the summer, cylinders and firewood start costing an arm and a leg in winters.

Already perturbed by the back-breaking double-digit inflation, the populace of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) capital is feeling the crunch from the upsurge in prices of alternatives to gas like liquified petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders and firewood. Mehnaz Khan, a housewife and resident of Peshawar, commenting on the matter, said that the gas load shedding was burning a hole in her pocket. “Since there is no gas to cook food, we had to buy an LPG cylinder. However, for someone whose monthly budget is Rs25,000 to Rs30,000 this alternative is highly unaffordable,” she lamented. Mehnaz further said that those who were rich could afford to install gas compressor machines which exacerbates the crisis as the device takes away from the gas supply of others.

Another housewife, Gul Rukh, complained that the poor could not seem to catch a break. “If the exorbitant commodity prices were not enough, now we have to deal with budgeting for expensive LPG and firewood,” an irate Gul remarked, adding that 12 to 18 hours of gas load shedding was extreme. “I cannot cook breakfast for my children and the elderly cannot perform ablution for prayers due to cold water. It is like our whole life has turned upside down.”

Similarly, Zakir Ullah, a school teacher and long-term resident of the city, had a bone to pick with the government. “The administration should take action against unscheduled gas load shedding which has made our lives miserable. If they cannot, then they should tell us how to afford LPG, which is a daily expense of Rs300 in a meagre salary of Rs30,000?”

Khan Zeb, a local LPG cylinder salesperson, when asked about the high prices of the cylinders, said that the rates were not in his control. Khan explained that this was just simple economics, the demand in winters for LPG by households and commercial enterprises outweighed the supply, therefore, they had to charge higher.

General Manager (GM) for Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited, Peshawar, Taj Ali Khan, when asked about the unannounced load shedding, also blamed the drastic upsurge in demand during winters. “K-P currently requires about 250 to 300 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of gas, which we are not capable of supplying.” Taj also claimed that complaints of unannounced load shedding were not accurate as every household was being provided gas according to a set schedule.

“For instance, for our residential consumers we provide gas for 3 hours in the morning, 2 hours in the afternoon, and 3 hours in the evening,” the GM said. “There can be other reasons for shortage of gas like old pipes and theft. We have started a Rs6 billion project to upgrade all gas pipes in the province to prevent leakage. As for those who steal gas with compressors, we take immediate action if we receive complaints,” said Taj while talking to The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2022.