LAHORE: Ongoing severe winter gas crisis has escalated beyond scheduled outages into a pattern of erratic and near-total supply failure, severely impacting daily life and raising urgent questions about management and accountability.
Despite directives to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) by the federal government to prioritise domestic households, citizens are enduring unbearable low or no gas supply, with unannounced load shedding and critically low pressure becoming the grim norm. This persistent shortage, which contradicts claims of domestic gas availability and LNG oversupply, has ignited widespread public anger and accusations of systemic failure.
Low gas availability situation has worsened to such extent that supply is cut off without warning or consumers were left braving very low gas pressure. This has made daily life very difficult for the public, who rely on gas for cooking and heating in their homes.
The problem is causing great frustration. People complaint having no gas at all during various timelines, even during morning hours, when families need to cook breakfast. One resident described the problem saying there is no flame on the stove, and only occasional drops of fire appear from the burner. Even when complaints are made and gas utility staff visit homes, no solution is provided and the supply is not restored to normal level.
Public anger is growing in extreme cold weather. On social media, people question how there can be such a severe shortage when officials sometimes claim there is enough gas and even a surplus. Others report experiencing both electricity and gas cuts for many hours each day. This situation has disrupted routines and caused hardship.
Important questions are now being directed to the gas supply companies, like SNGPL. People want to know the real reason for the gap between supply and demand. They ask how areas are chosen for load shedding and why there is no public schedule for gas availability. There are also questions about actions taken against illegal gas connections and plans to improve the system for the future.
The unannounced gas cuts are more than an inconvenience; they are a serious failure in essential service delivery. The public needs immediate relief, clear communication about when gas will be available, and a long-term plan to prevent this crisis from happening again every winter.
This year’s gas shortage problem has escalated to a full blow crisis. Households are not merely managing without heating; they are struggling to perform basic tasks like cooking. Even more frustrating is the reported inaction after official complaints, with notes that gas utility staff visited the house but nothing has happened so far. This highlights a breakdown between customer service promises and tangible results, eroding public trust completely.
The current crisis is a stark failure of planning and execution, say angry consumers. They demand immediate, transparent and effective intervention to restore not just gas supply, but also public confidence in the utilities tasked with serving the nation.
When contacted, an official of SNGPL did not share company’s stance on unprecedented gas shortage, hitting ordinary people.
