WITH the start of the winter season, the shortage of natural gas in Karachi, the largest city of the country, has gone from bad to worse. It is no more a case of loadshedding; it is a simple case of shutdown. There are days when gas is not supplied even for an hour. This has made cooking an impossible task. And, of course, it goes without saying that teh geysers are no more functional.

The last four to five years were horrific in terms of economic hardships during which poverty increased expo- nentially. Owing to such economic woes, the common man not struggles to feed the family. The ‘lucky’ common man, who somehow manages to earn enough to put food on table, is unable to have the meal cooked as there is no gas being supplied by the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).

It is almost impossible to buy gas cylinders as they are too costly for the common man to afford.

Our families are falling sick due to change in weather. Now when we need hot water, we cannot have it because there is no gas supply. This is what is happening in a city that is keeping the wheels of national economy running.

Asim Illahi Shaikh
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2023