With natural gas available for barely six hours a day and liquefied petroleum gas prices soaring, families in Rawalpindi are returning to firewood, coal and kerosene to keep kitchens running as winter approaches. The shift to traditional fuels is a direct response to the shortage of gas and the rising cost of its main alternative, and it illustrates the daily choices households must make when energy becomes scarce and expensive.
Households are increasingly relying on cheaper alternatives such as discarded furniture wood and sawdust. Those materials, which would otherwise be waste, are now being collected and used for cooking. The use of sawdust and offcuts from furniture making shows how families are adapting to the situation by finding fuel wherever they can, even if it means using materials that were not originally intended for the kitchen.
A furniture factory owner, Muhammad Faizan, said waste wood previously dumped near Nullah Lai was now being collected by residents for cooking. His account provides a vivid illustration of the change: wood that was once discarded as rubbish is now a valued resource, sought out by households that need something to burn. Nullah Lai, a stream that runs through Rawalpindi, had been a dumping ground for the waste, but it is now a source of fuel for local residents.
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority has raised the official LPG price for November to Rs294,075 per tonne, from Rs279,341 in October. The increase of nearly Rs15,000 per tonne in a single month is a substantial rise, and it feeds directly into the price paid by consumers for cylinders. The price of an 11.8-kilogram domestic cylinder has consequently risen by Rs173 to Rs3,470, taking the official retail rate to Rs294 per kilogram. For a household that relies on LPG for cooking, an extra Rs173 per cylinder is a noticeable additional cost, particularly when it comes on top of other pressures on the family budget.
LPG Distributors Association of Pakistan chairman Irfan Khokhar said the situation was serious because of the closure of the Iran border. The closure affects the supply of LPG, which is imported and transported across borders, and a disruption to that supply can tighten the market and push prices higher. His assessment that the situation is serious reflects the concern of distributors who deal directly with supply and who see the effects of shortages on their businesses and customers.
The Pakistan LPG Marketers Association has threatened to shut down businesses from 16 November if the government sidelines the private sector under its proposed LPG policy. The threat of a shutdown adds another layer of uncertainty to the supply picture. If marketers close their businesses, the availability of LPG could be further affected, and households that depend on it would face even greater difficulty. The association’s warning is linked to the government’s proposed policy for the sector, and to the concern that the private sector may be excluded from a role it has traditionally played.
The return to firewood, coal and kerosene is not only a matter of cost but also of health and environment. Burning wood and coal indoors produces smoke that can affect respiratory health, particularly for women and children who spend time in the kitchen. As winter approaches, the demand for heating as well as cooking will increase, placing further pressure on households that are already struggling with limited gas supply and rising LPG prices.
For families in Rawalpindi, the gas crisis is a daily reality, measured in the hours when gas is available and in the price of a cylinder. The shift to firewood is a coping strategy, but it is one that carries its own costs and risks, and it underscores the urgency of addressing the underlying problems of supply and pricing in the energy sector.
Source: The Express Tribune.
