Pakistan's Gas Crisis Worsens, Leaving Millions Without Access to Reliable Energy

The gas crisis in Pakistan has reached a boiling point, affecting not only high-end restaurants and households but also rural communities. Shaista Abbas, a resident of PECHS, Karachi, shares her struggle with cooking during scheduled hours, which can be as short as two hours a day.

'We took our gas bill for granted,' says Mrs Rehana Sharif, another resident of Karachi, 'but now it comes in the thousands.' The SSGC's allocation of gas supply timings has been criticized for not considering women's struggles. Najma Werag, a social activist from Lyari, points out that people in her area rely on expensive LNG cylinders due to the unavailability of piped gas.

The situation is particularly dire for rural communities, where indigenous gas reserves are no longer sufficient to meet domestic demand. The Indus Consortium reports that energy crises disproportionately burden women in rural Sindh, who face serious health risks from indoor air pollution and contaminated water.