SNGPL says to redress low gas pressure issue

Rawalpindi : The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) Managing Director Ali Javed Hamdani and Senior General Manager Syed Mukhtar Shah took notice of people’s complaints about gas outages and low pressure in the city and suburbs and directed to start work to lay down 2-inch supply lines immediately to ensure uninterrupted gas supply to domestic consumers. The SNGPL staff has started work to lay down 2-inch supply line in affected localities here on Tuesday.

The Managing Director, Senior General Manager (Rawalpindi), Senior General Manager (Islamabad), Chief Engineers and some other high ranking officials visited Adiala Road, Defence Road, Munawar Colony, Gulshanabad, Morgha and several other affected areas to start work to lay down supply pipelines.

The SNGPL managing director and senior general manager (Rawalpindi) listened public grievances and said that regarding provision of gas pressures to commercial consumers, such as hotels and restaurants, it is important to note that com­m­ercial and domestic consumers are fed from the same distribution lines, therefore domestic and commercial gas consumers have equal pressures. The allegations of favouring commercial consumers over domestic consumers are therefore untrue, they claimed.

They also said that it is a well-known and established fact that gas pressures in winter season get lowered in few congested and highly populated areas of Rawalpindi because of old gas infrastructure laid back in the 60s. On the other hand, indigenous gas production has substantially decreased therefore provision of gas at designated pressure to every household is quite a challenge.

The SNGPL officials have admitted of low pressure in several areas said that low gas pressure in the mentioned areas are due to rise in demand of natural gas and use of gas compressors for suction of gas which is illegal and shall be avoided. “We have established a set schedule to provide full pressure gas for cooking purposes from 0600 to 0900 (morning) from 1200 to 1400 (lunch) and from 1800 to 2100 (evening).

They said that several ongoing projects are underway or in pipeline for approval. After completion of such projects, SNGPL will be able to provide gas at adequate pressures to consumers and the issue of low gas pressure will be resolved forever.