QUETTA: The first rainfall of the winter season in Quetta and several other parts of Balochistan on Wednesday plunged temperatures, intensifying a crisis driven by prolonged natural gas outages and fuel price gouging.

The cold front sent residents rushing to local markets to buy warm clothing as showers fell across Quetta, Kolpur, Harnai, Chagai and Dalbandin.

The sudden drop in temperatures in the provincial capital and northern districts compounded existing hardships for households already enduring low gas pressure and frequent load-shedding.

With piped natural gas largely unavailable, families turning to liquefied petroleum gas as an alternative fuel face steep financial hurdles. The consumers struggle to secure LPG at government-regulated rates, with local shopkeepers reportedly charging arbitrary prices ranging between Rs550 and Rs600 per kg.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2026