Karachi battles gas crisis; residents face unannounced load shedding

Karachi: Pakistan’s economic hub Karachi is facing an acute gas crisis with the only semi-state-owned natural gas provider on Tuesday announcing a tough schedule for domestic consumers.

The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) announced that domestic consumers would get gas supply only for eight hours a day — morning, afternoon, and evening — during “meal timing”.

The announcement comes after months of unannounced gas load shedding in the city which has left domestic consumers frustrated and angry.

“As per the prime minister’s directives, SSGC is ensuring gas supply to its customers during meal hours as per the given schedule,” the utility said in a tweet.

The utility company, however, made no mention of the remaining 16 hours of the day.

Pakistan's gas reserves are depleting fast as demand for fuel has surged with the growing population even as the supplies are shrinking due to no discovery of new gas reserves in the last 20 years. The country mostly meets its energy demands through imported and indigenous resources currently in a ratio of 44.56.

The start of the winter season has only added to the woes of city residents who have been forced to face prolonged power load shedding and breakdowns.

According to reports, nearly every locality in the city has been facing very low pressure or no supply of gas during peak hours for the past weeks, with the gas utility company also not responding properly.

In some areas, consumers have complained of hardly getting two hours of gas supply during the day. There have also been complaints about low gas pressure in many areas which means consumers are even unable to cook proper meals.

In many areas, people have started depending on LPG gas cylinders which in turn is burning a hole in their pockets.

Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Sheikh admitted that the crisis had intensified in the Sindh province, saying it was surprising since Sindh produced the highest quantity of gas in the country.

Disputes with foreign gas suppliers and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have also contributed to the gas crisis in Pakistan. Political instability, inconsistent policies, security problems and weak contract enforcements have also prevented foreign firms from investing in Pakistan's oil and gas exploration sector.