RAWALPINDI: After the first rain of the winter, the residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad faced low pressure of natural gas on Friday. However, the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) claimed that the supply had been affected due to a technical problem at the Adhi field near Daultala and would be restored in a day.

The supply disruption added to the problems of the citizens who remained confined to their houses due to the ongoing protest by religious parties. The pressure of gas was so low that housewives could not prepare meals.

Mohammad Afzal, a resident of Dhoke Chaudhrian, said with the start of the winter the shortage of natural gas had started. He said the low pressure of gas started early in the morning and the citizens had to cook food on LPG cylinders.

Disruption caused by a fault in field near Daultala, supply will be restored soon, SNGPL official says

He said gas was available till Thursday night but soon after the rain its pressure decreased.

Ahsan Malik, a resident of Chaklala Scheme-III, said as usual gas had vanished with the start of the winter. “For us, the gas loadshedding has been a routine for many years. The government increased the tariffs but failed to improve the supply,” he said.

Shahzad Ahmed, of Media Town, said they had been facing the gas shortage with frequent intervals for over two weeks. He said it was strange that the government was not taking the issue seriously. He said adjoining Bahria Town and Police Foundation were getting gas without any problems as the SNGPL had provided them separate lines while in Media Town the problem was getting worse.

Another resident, Asher Ali, said the low pressure had forced the residents to adopt old means of fuel such as coal or LPG cylinders. He said the price of LPG cylinders had also gone up.

Mohammad Naseer, a resident of Nayyar Colony at Chaudhry Bostan Khan Road, said they had to pay the increased bills of gas despite the low pressure.

“The PTI government failed to streamline things even though the citizens had pinned high hopes on it,” he said.

When contacted, PTI MPA Chaudhry Adnan said the government was working to improve the gas pressure and a survey of areas facing the issue had been started.

“The SNGPL has been asked to improve the supply within a few days. We know people are facing problems especially in the downtown areas and we would solve the issue,” he said.

He also said the previous government failed to improve things and created problems for the citizens. He said the low gas pressure would be improved in coming days.

When contacted, SNGPL Rawalpindi region General Manager Chaudhry Mohammad Zahoor told Dawn that some problems had occurred in the Adhi gas field of Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) near Daultala which affected some areas along the Islamabad Expressway.

“Work has been started and the gas pressure would be increased at night between Friday and Saturday. The pressure would improve from Saturday morning,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2018