LAHORE: The recent floods in south Punjab have badly affected the country’s critical and major gas transmission corridor, putting the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) on its toes to restore gas supply from north to south through alternative arrangements.

The work for rehabilitation of the affected pipelines network has also started to return it to full operational status, Dawn has learnt.

“After restoring gas supply through temporary arrangements, we are all set to launch formal rehabilitation of our affected portion of the gas network passing through Jalalpur Pirwala. Once completed, all four pipelines will return to full operational status, restoring complete transmission integrity,” explained SNGPL Managing Director Amer Tufail official while talking to Dawn on Saturday.

Pakistan faced unprecedented floods during August–September 2025, which breached protective embankments and inundated large tracts of south Punjab, with Jalalpur Pirwala near Multan suffering destruction of farmland, homes and infrastructure.

The Jalalpur Pirwala area has the SNGPL’s transmission corridor—a cluster of two 36-inch diameter, one 30-inch diameter and one 24-inch diameter high-pressure pipelines that form the country primary energy artery, transporting over 800 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) of natural gas and regasified liquefied natural gas to Punjab.

Sharing detail of the gas transmission system endangered by floods, the SNGPL MD said when local authorities in Jalalpur Pirwala dismantled protective structures near the pipelines on Sept 7 to divert floodwaters, the soil beneath the pipelines eroded, leaving two 36-inch diameter pipeline sections floating in the floodwater.

“The situation intensified as further breaches were made to save Jalalpur Pirwala city. The situation worsened more on Sept 13 when the protective bund at Noraja–Bhutta on the Sutlej River breached, creating reverse high-velocity currents that struck SNGPL’s pipelines. The 30-inch diameter pipeline also became exposed and started floating,” Mr Tufail explained.

On Sept 15, according to him, the company’s team reached the site and quickly isolated both 36-inch diameter pipelines to avoid any accident and diverted the gas flow to the 30-inch and 24-inch diameter pipelines. The following day, one 36-inch pipeline ruptured due to intense water currents and was immediately depressurised to prevent any accident that could have a devastating effect on the human population.

As a contingency plan, the company teams constructed a 36-inch diameter temporary bypass pipeline within a record time of just three to four days. This contingency measure was purely temporary and intended to ensure a sustainable gas supply to consumers in case of the failure of the 24-inch and 30-inch pipelines. Federal and provincial ministers, along with the NDMA and NHA leadership, also visited and inspected the site.

“The Jalalpur Pirwala incident not only tested our emergency preparedness but also reaffirmed the nation’s ability to act swiftly and cohesively in adversity,” he said, adding that the field staff and engineers, working round the clock under dangerous conditions, maintained gas supply to the power plants, fertilizer units and industries besides the domestic consumers despite the floodwaters engulfing roads and restricting equipment access.

To a question, he said the gas supply to all sectors was not halted for even an hour during the course of works by the teams at site. “Had this issue not resolved temporarily on time, the country could have faced a nationwide energy emergency,” the SNGPL MD said.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2025