Nepal Plagued by Widespread Gas Shortage Amid Unnatural Demand

Nepal is facing a severe gas shortage, affecting citizens across the country. In Kathmandu, people are forced to wander from shop to shop carrying empty cylinders, wait for weeks in anticipation of gas, and stand in line for hours.

According to Manoj Thakur, spokesperson for Nepal Oil Corporation, the distribution system is under pressure due to an unnatural increase in demand. Regular consumption is 85-90 barrels of gas daily, but now more than 100 barrels are being imported daily.

The corporation is distributing gas directly from various locations in the valley, with a total of 6,802 cylinders distributed on Saturday alone. However, dealers claim that the reality in the market is different, and not a single cylinder has arrived at their depot for the past 15 days.

Dealer Anita Bhattarai says that companies do not send gas, but when the government distributes it itself, retailers face trouble. The corporation's spokesperson claims that the main root of the current extreme gas shortage is the policy of distributing half cylinders of gas implemented some time ago.