Residents of Lahore are reportedly being forced to pay up to Rs500 per kilogram for LPG amid ongoing gas outages, despite the official consumer price being set at around Rs300 per kilogram by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA).
Gas outages have left residents unable to use their stoves, while purchasing expensive LPG has also become difficult.
Residents said the unavailability of gas had forced them to buy Liquefied Petroleum Gas.
Consumers said gas load shedding had disrupted their daily lives, while expensive LPG had further burdened household budgets.
Citizens demanded that uninterrupted gas supplies be ensured and effective measures be taken to bring down the prices.
Gas loadshedding timings
Residential Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited provides gas during three daily mealtime windows: 6:00am to 9:00am, 12:00pm to 2:00pm, and 5:00pm to 8:00pm
It is pertinent to mention that clashes between Iran and the US have severely disrupted liquefied natural gas shipments. Domestic natural gas production is also declining steadily, while overall national demand continues to rise.
Brent crude prices surged past $100 a barrel for the first time since July, following the strikes on Iranian tankers and regional energy infrastructure.
In other news, Karachi may experience water shortages in several parts after a major power breakdown affected operations at the Dhabeji Pumping Station, one of the city’s key water supply facilities.
According to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), the electricity failure forced 10 of the 21 pumping units at Dhabeji to stop operating. The disruption has reduced the amount of water being supplied to different parts of the city.