SAHIWAL, Dec 17: Up to 30 per cent gas shortage is being observed in the Sahiwal region which is most likely to grow by 70 per cent in the coming few days because of the swift downward trend of mercury.

Domestic consumers are facing a lot of difficulties and it is feared that low gas pressure in the coming days will bring more miseries for consumers, especially housewives, who are already facing problems in cooking meals.

The government has announced the loadshedding schedule for industrial and commercial sectors, but no such arrangements have been made for domestic consumers.

The domestic consumers observed low gas pressure during the months of January and February every year.

Mrs Rashida of D-Block, Farid Town, says the gas pressure has reduced to a level that it is hardly possible to cook meals. “Even it takes hours to boil the milk”, she said.

She demanded that the SNGPL should announce proper gas loadshedding schedule for domestic consumers so that housewives could adjust their cooking schedule.Mrs Shagufta of T-Block complained that she could not properly feed her school-going kids because of extremely low gas pressure in the morning.

The similar complaints of low pressure is being received from other parts of the city, including Scheme Nos 2 and 3, 86/6-R, Kot Khadim Ali Shah, Fateh Sher Colony, Kot Allah Din, Bashir Colony and Rahmatullah Colony.

Shahnaz Abrar of 86/6-R locality said: “We have to face severe gas shortage even during three-day loadshedding period at CNG stations.”

She said the gas pressure increased after 11pm and how the food could be cooked for the family at that late hour.

Requesting anonymity, a high-up of the SNGPL’s regional office said the required gas flow was 42 million cubic feet per day but presently the flow was only between 28 and 30 million cubic feet.

He said the gas flow would further reduce once the domestic consumers start using extensively gas heaters and geysers in two months of January and February.

It is learnt that a total of 120,000 domestic users, 600 commercial and 125 industrial users exist in the Sahiwal region.