Use of gas compressors adds to consumers’ miseries

Islamabad : Increasing use of gas compressors has added miseries of the consumers who have already been facing gas loadshedding since the start of the winter season.

Memoona Hamid, a housewife who lives in D Block (Satellite Town), said “There are many people in this area who are using gas compressors due to which other people are facing problems. We never exactly identify the houses where this illegal activity is being done but very low pressure shows that the compressors are being used by people in this area.”

The use of gas compressors is illegal and the relevant authorities have asked the people to inform them if they find this kind of activity in their locality. It is also a dangerous act because the experts have warned that gas compressors are not designed to be compatible with high pressures and there is a risk of accidents if they are used when gas pressure is high.

When the issue of gas shortage raised its head the people started finding their ways to suck more gas from the network. They have illegally installed these compressors in homes to suck the gas of the whole area. Even if a single home in a neighbourhood uses a gas compressor all other homes are deprived of this facility.

Tariq Dastgeer, a resident, said “Some consumers have installed illegal compressors that drain gas pressure from the supply lines. This act can cause raptures in the gas pipelines besides creating a vacuum that results in loss of natural gas.”

“The practice deprives those consumers in the vicinity of natural gas, who are not using the compressor. The concerned departments have also declared that gas compressors are very dangerous as they can cause fatal accidents,” he said.