SWABI: The loadshedding and low pressure of natural gas have caused great hardships to consumers in the district.

Since the commencement of the winter, complaints of low gas pressure have been poured in from all the areas including rural and urban.

The low gas pressure has forced the consumers to use liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and wood or buy food at the bazaar. “All these alternatives are costly on one hand and use of LPG is risky on the other but there is no other option,” said the consumers.

They said that traders increased the price of wood by Rs200 per 50 kilograms when they came to know about the low gas pressure in the district.

People say they are forced to buy food from bazaar

“I have purchased fuel wood at Rs700 per 50 kilograms instead of Rs500. When I wanted to know the reason for the increase, the dealer told me to buy wood from another trader,’ said Aamir Khan of Maneri Bala village.

The consumers said that owing to gas outages, they were forced to arrange food from local hotels and buy bread from tandoor owners, who reduced the size of bread.

They said that their preparing lunch or dinner had become an uphill task owing to gas outages and low pressure. “The most difficult task is to make breakfast for the children because they leave for schools and colleges in time. The gas outage has made the mothers helpless,” Dr Shahzad Khan told this scribe.

The residents of the district complained that despite their repeated requests and contacts, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) failed to give any heed to their genuine demand.

About the issue, a local university has issued a letter, which says that as per government’s announcement the gas pressure has been adjusted by SNGPL to meet the country-wide requirements.

It is beyond the control of a local management to improve the gas pressure, it adds.

The letter has advised the consumers to organise all the kitchen activities keeping in mind the gas pressure available for domestic use.

They are also advised to be specifically careful not to leave the gas appliances switched on unattended. It is quite possible that there may be a total cutoff at a certain time and restoration in a short span, thereby, causing accumulation of unburned gas at that location that may result in an unwarranted situation subsequently, it adds.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2021