Winter woes in G-B: Firewood short as cold snap bites

Forest department asks to lift ban on transportation of this essential fuel.

GILGIT: The forestry department has recommended the Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B)government to lift a ban on the inter-district transportation of firewood, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The shortage of firewood has intensified following a cold wave in the region as temperatures in Gilgit plummeted to minus 10 degrees Celsius and minus 17 degrees Celsius in Baltistan. This  has led to increased demand for wood as residents try to stay warm.

An official from the forestry department confirmed that such a recommendation had been made. “We have forwarded a recommendation to the government to lift the ban on transporting wood from Diamer district to other districts in the region,” the official said, on condition of anonymity.The natural forests in Diamer district were among Pakistan’s most dense, but excessive chopping by the timber mafia over the past decade has caused drastic depletion. According to an official, wood from Diamer forests is smuggled across Pakistan to meet the growing commercial demands.

As demand increased and supply remained suspended, the prices of firewood shot up in Gilgit-Baltistan and 40 kilogrammes of firewood is priced at Rs600.

The consumption of firewood generally experiences a surge in the months of December and January due to the freezing cold in Gilgit-Baltistan. This year, the demand increased manifold due to a crisis of petroleum products. The suppliers and dealers of kerosene, diesel and petrol have been on strike this month in order to put pressure on the authorities to meet their demands.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2010.