• Several neighbourhoods have to make do without gas for four days straight as temperatures drop to single digits
• Households turn to costly LPG cylinders
• PPP senator seeks PM’s intervention
• SSGC says shortfall from two fields reaches 45MMcf/d
KARACHI: The gas crisis that Karachiites have been facing for the past four days further intensified on Monday, as several neighbourhoods remained completely without gas, while other areas struggled with critically low gas pressure.
While office-goers, schoolchildren and other people continue to endure the cold-induced agony of a crippled gas supply, the gas utility concedes the problem, saying it experienced a reduction in gas supply from one more field.
City’s minimum average temperature remained in the single digit as the Met Office said it was 8.1 degrees Celsius on Monday.
Residents across the city said that the winter freeze had once again exposed the complete failure of the gas utility’s distribution infrastructure and system, turning everyday life into a continuous struggle for them.
Public frustration
“How long will Karachi tolerate a utility that can’t secure its own supply,” wondered a disgruntled housewife from Gulistan-i-Jauhar.
A resident of Nazimabad, where gas supply was disrupted for hours, said that the gas utility offered the same tired narrative each winter, while the public paid the price.
“Until the company is held accountable, infrastructure is upgraded and the government stops turning a blind eye, Karachi’s residents will remain hostages of a broken system,” she added.
As the temperature dropped to single digits, homes were left with cold kitchens and delayed breakfasts, forcing students, workers and the elderly to turn to expensive LPG cylinders — a short-term arrangement that only added to their financial burden.
Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sindh General Secretary, Senator Waqar Mehdi, voiced deep concern over the ongoing gas shutdowns, loadshedding and dangerously low pressure reported across Sindh, especially in Karachi.
In a press statement, he noted that regardless of the weather, be it scorching heat or biting cold, Karachi’s residents continued to endure persistent gas cuts, erratic pressure and frequent power outages.
“The prime minister should take immediate notice of the gas shutdown in Karachi,” he demanded and urged that strict action be taken against anyone responsible for the continued suffering of the city’s residents.
He said that even as gas supplies were cut and loadshedding persisted, residents were still being hit with bills running into the thousands, while the gas utility continued to fall short of delivering a normal, reliable service to the public.
