The gas crisis has worsened in Karachi as its supply has been suspended for the next 24 hours to the general industry, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Sunday.

The gas supply would also remain suspended for captive power plants. The suspension will continue till 8am, Monday. 

The CNG sector has been shut since Friday and the gas supply will also be restored for the sector after 72 hours on Monday. 

The Sui gas authorities said that in order to provide smooth gas supply to domestic consumers on priority basis, the load management in different sectors was being carried out. The gas shortage is being managed through load management, they added. 

Industrialists in the southern port city have been complaining of disruptions in their production activities for the last few days, pointing out that low pressure of gas and frequent fluctuations had made it impossible for them to deliver export orders on time.

The prevailing paucity of natural gas in Karachi, the country’s commercial hub, has been caused by the annual maintenance of a gas field that is currently carried out by the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).

According to Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), it was facing a gas shortage of about 200 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd). 

The gas company said that it was facing low pressure gas problem in its franchise area. During the current week, few of the gas fields went off line more than twice with zero gas production for an extended time period. This resulted in depletion of the line pack at an accelerated rate, the SSGC added. 

Under the utility company’s load management plan, supply has been suspended to fuel stations selling compressed natural gas (CNG) across the southern Sindh province. 

Some industrialists warned if such a situation was allowed to persist, it would have a negative impact on the country’s exports which were going to fall from $22.5 billion to about $17 billion.

Pakistan gas production has declined by 4.3 percent or 3.3 billion cubic feet per day during June 9 to 15 as compared to 3.5 bmcfd from June 2 to 8, 2021, according to Arif Habib Research.

Reporter Habib Khan