GUJAR KHAN: Low gas pressure in urban and rural areas of Gujar Khan, Kahuta, Kallar Syedan tehsils of Rawalpindi district and several areas of district Jhelum hasincreased consumerdependence onwood.

According to people of theseareas, drastically low gas pressure this winter has disturbed not just kitchen budgets in their homes but their domestic routines. As per a survey conducted by Dawn, a large number of people have established make-shiftwoodcutting stalls as theunprecedentedsurge in the demand forwood has increased which will most definitely accelerate deforestation.

Consequently, elimination of trees on a massive scale is going to reverse the government’s objective of a clean and green Pakistan, a number of conscientious residents pointed out.

Gul Sher Khan said that he was doing good business this year, adding, consignments ofwoodfrom Chakwal, Jhelum and Gujar Khan regions were being broughtat these open air stalls and being sold at Rs500 to Rs600 per mound. He said office going customers, whose gas-fitted kitchens haveturned cool were main customers at the stalls. Zahid Mehmood, a resident of Thakra Mohra village who was there to buy wood, said the roof of his house has turned black with smoke from burning wood but he was left with no other option as he cannot afford a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder, which costs around Rs2,400.

Another consumer, Mohammad Bashir said that he had no option but to buywood forcooking. He said that his children had to go to school and he himself was an office going employee and cooking breakfast and other meals had become impossible without burningwood. He also disclosed that he had resorted to covert means of using a compressor to get sui gas into his kitchen but everyone around was using this device and it was just like pumping empty air into the kitchen so the ultimate source to fall back upon was wood,a primitive source of fire.

Residents of Daultala town said their town was in the vicinity of one of Pakistan’s major gas producing oil and gas fields yet they were not getting sui gas in their homes. They urged elected representatives of their areas to highlight the issue. They said that they would resort to protests if this situation persisted.

According to another survey by Dawn, most of the peopleliving in the rural settings who cannot afford wood and LPG cylinders have started to use cattle waste to cook meals. This used to be an old practice among villagers but the method was abandoned after gas connections were installed in their houses, however, they have resorted to it again. Many who do not have their own cattle have started purchasing cattle waste.On the other hand, people living in urban areas are using the same means to produce fire in their homes as LPG cylinders are costly amid skyrocketing inflation.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2021