Quetta gas supply to be affected after pipeline rupture

QUETTA: The gas supply to Balochistan’s capital of Quetta will remain affected after a pipeline was ruptured in Bolan, the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) said Thursday.

“The reason behind the pipeline's explosion is being determined,” the company said in a statement. “As a result, the gas supply to Quetta will be affected.”

The gas supply company added that a team has been dispatched to repair the ruptured pipeline in Bloan.

Temperatures in the country’s largest province by land are quite low in some places and negative in others, making it crucial for people to have access to gas — a key utility, especially in winter.

But as winters hit every year, the demand for gas shoots, and the government fails to deliver an uninterrupted supply of the important commodity.

In Karachi, millions of kitchens in Karachi have gone cold as utilities are supplying the gas meant for domestic consumers to fertiliser plants blatantly ignoring the plight of the people, who are unable to cook food or keep their homes warm.

In October of last year, caretaker Power Minister Muhammad Ali warned the citizens that gas would only be available for eight hours in the winter amid depleting natural gas reserves in the country.