‘Cannot Provide Gas Supply 24 Hrs Because…’: Pakistan Minister Says Country’s Fuel Reserves Depleting

Pakistan’s Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik on Wednesday revealed that natural gas cannot be supplied round the clock due to the depleting reserve in most parts of the country.

Pakistan is heavily dependent on natural gas for its energy and with the rising demand and insufficient supply, load-shedding has become a daily occurrence, Dawn reported.

“Our gas resources are depleting by 10 per cent every year. We have only 1,600 Million standard cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas left for the entire country while the demand is on the rise,” Musadik Malik said during a meeting with members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“We cannot provide gas 24 hours as our reserves have dropped,” he added. He also attributed the shortage to the domestic sector in Balochistan.

The gas supply has worsened during Ramazan as people need gas for cooking and other reasons, especially during sehri and iftar. He said that efforts are underway to ensure that the gas supply remains uninterrupted during sehri and iftar.

The government would ensure that poor households are provided gas on priority, Musadik Malik said adding that there would be a ban on new connections.

The gas bill of the rich and poor has been separated and rich people will have to pay more now, the minister said.

He said Sindh had surplus gas until a few years ago, but it is currently facing a deficit due to soaring demand. Khy­ber Pakhtunkhwa had surplus gas at the moment, he added.

The issue of shortage in gas supply in cities including Karachi has caught Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s attention recently and he has directed relevant officials to ensure an uninterrupted supply.

The Pakistani PM also said the process of supply of gas should be supervised and no negligence should be tolerated.

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