Shivering days: Without fuel to keep warm, snow in Swat spells misery

Residents say they face shortage of gas, power and firewood

MINGORA:

Snow in Swat brings with it the initial joy of a beautiful spectacle. But it also brings with it misery which is compounded by prolonged hours of gas and power load-shedding, supplemented by the surging price of firewood.

Snow and rainfall in the mountains of Swat Valley’s lower belt has sent temperatures plummeting in recent days, with people complaining they are inadequately equipped to deal with the hostile weather.

“These days, we are experiencing three hours of load-shedding after every hour of power supply. If you read the newspapers, elected members of both the national and provincial assemblies claim to have brought an end to load-shedding in Swat,” said Abdul Nasir, a resident of Khwazakhela.

Sparse supply of power is not the only affliction. The people of Swat say gas has been near to non-existent since the onset of winter.

“We don’t have gas for cooking and other domestic use, let alone using it for keeping warm in the cold winter nights. Gas load-shedding lasts for more than 20 hours in Mingora these days,” complained Fazal Rehman, a resident of Saidu Sharif.

Rehman alleged the government did not want domestic consumers to use gas and only commercial consumers benefited. He maintained CNG stations had no problem regarding availability of gas.

According to some households, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is also very expensive and beyond their means. “LPG is available for Rs150 per kilogramme in the local market and can only be used for cooking. It is not affordable for heating purposes for low income people,” said Sher Bahadar, a guard for a private firm.

A large number of people from Kabal, Matta, Khwazakhela, Madyan and other tehsils use firewood for both cooking and heating.

However, they, too, complained about the shortage of firewood and its soaring price in winter. “Usually, we get 50 kilogrammes of firewood for Rs450, but in winter, when its consumption increases, the price reaches Rs700,” said Bacha, who works as a peon in a private school.

“We consume 50 kilos [of firewood] in one week. It is very difficult to purchase it for Rs700 because my monthly salary is Rs8,000 and I have seven mouths to feed.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2015.