Ice trade declines with tech's rise in Rawalpindi

Once considered one of the most profitable summer businesses for centuries, the ice factory and ice-selling trade has declined due to scientific advancement.

Until the 1990s, long queues outside ice stalls during summer were common, and obtaining ice was a tiring process.

Today, ice is available in almost every household. During Ramazan in summer, buying ice before iftar while fasting was particularly difficult.

In the 1990s, Rawalpindi had 54 small and large ice factories operating day and night, yet demand often exceeded supply. Today, the number has shrunk to just four, with production reduced to 20–30 per cent. The labour force associated with ice factories has also disappeared.

Ice prices have risen from a few annas to Rs1 per kilogram, which once sparked protests. Demonstrations at Liaquat Bagh Chowk over the Rs1 price led to shelling and baton charge, after which no one dared protest again.

Today, ice is being sold at Rs200 per kg in the open market.

The city's largest central ice factory at Marir Chowk closed in 1995 due to losses. Other major factories in Lal Kurti, Westridge, Pirwadhai, Dhamial, Dhoke Syedan, and Dhoke Hassu have also shut down, leaving only small units.

The decline began in the 1990s with the spread of refrigerators in households. By 2000, 80 per cent of the city's ice factories had closed. Previously, people would buy ice in advance during Ramazan and store it wrapped in flour sacks.

Ice sellers used to cut blocks by estimation rather than weighing them. Standard ice blocks measured three feet wide, five feet long, and eight inches thick, produced using chemicals and water in iron moulds.

Loading and unloading ice was a skilled job, with experts completing the task in minutes and earning daily wages. A 67-year-old worker, Abdul Qadoos, said he worked for 31 years at the Marir Chowk factory, where conditions were cool and workers received free ice for home use.

He started with a salary of Rs850, which later increased to Rs1,550. After purchasing a refrigerator on instalments in the 1990s, he left the job and joined the flower market in Raja Bazaar.

He said the industry enjoyed a 50–60 year boom but is now in decline due to scientific progress. Rising electricity costs have further strained the remaining factories, two of which may shut down this year.

Ice currently sells at Rs200 per kg and is expected to rise to Rs250–270 in the coming weeks due to increasing electricity, petrol, and diesel prices. Where ice stalls were once easily visible across the city, they are now hard to find.