As a massive energy crisis is looming over the global horizon, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent remark that the gas shortage facing the country is going to worsen during winter months has worked little to revive the sagging expectations of the people reeling under the worst inflation and price hike. The prime minister warned during his visit to Sindh on Tuesday that the citizens are likely to face the worst gas crisis in winter. The government owned gas distribution companies, including the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Company (SNGPL), are expected to announce their plans and schedules of supply to domestic and commercial consumers. As such, the SSGC has been directed by the federal government to come up with a feasible schedule that would be implemented after proper consultation with the provinces. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the domestic consumers have been subjected to three times gas outage in 24 hours, while commercial consumers have also been complaining about the adverse effects of gas suspension on their businesses.
It is now anybody’s guess that gas supply to the compressed natural gas (CNG) stations not only in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but also in other parts of the country, will be stopped for a number of days in a week to overcome the crisis and facilitate supply to domestic consumers. Media reports have also pinpointed that the gas crisis is feared in the harsh months of winter. The people are getting closer to a point in the crisis where gas availability for full day would become impossible for commercial use. The gas outages notwithstanding, the people have been complaining about substantial fall in gas pressure in parts of big cities, like Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi. For some, there are already alternatives. Domestic consumers may use wood as fuel to cook, or buy LPG cylinders for this. But, the commercial consumers are left high and dry. The frequent gas outages have shot up prices of LPG cylinders, which are now being sold at higher prices than normal, already making it unaffordable for many, while its current price is predicted to get higher in the harsh months of winter.
Musadik Malik, minister of state for petroleum, while dashing all hopes of gas consumers, also announced a persistent shortage of gas this winter. Kicking off the notorious blame game, Malik made the previous government responsible for not purchasing cheapest available liquefied natural gas (LNG). The ongoing situation suggests gas curtailment to domestic consumers, power sector and industry would be higher than the previous winter. It is very unfortunate that the country’s leadership has never come up with tangible solution to resolve the issue despite increased domestic production. The industrialists of the country have termed this a man-made disaster for production. The sheer incompetence, mismanagement and blame game would not only affect the family life of people but it would also drastically impact the ongoing economic crunch and may trigger further political instability. This is a fact and we all know it that gas, especially natural gas, is a treasure and holds a vital place in the country’s economy. Its non-availability slows down industrial production. The incumbent government needs to focus more on domestic gas instead of relying on purchasing it from international market on high prices. All relevant sectors need to know how to deal with critical issue and look for possible alternatives to find permanent solution to the gas crisis.
