Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has confirmed a revised gas supply schedule for several industrial and residential zones in Karachi and parts of Balochistan, citing a critical shortfall in system pressure.
The utility provider stated that the decision aims to manage dwindling reserves as winter demand spikes. Industries in Korangi, SITE, and North Karachi are facing the sharpest cuts, with supply now restricted to specific windows intended to stabilize the grid.
For residential consumers in areas like Lyari, Malir, and parts of Quetta, the pressure drop isn’t just a schedule change—it’s a return to the chronic shortages that plagued the region last year. SSGC maintains that the load management is necessary to prevent a total system collapse, yet local businesses are already sounding the alarm.
“We cannot operate on a three-hour supply window,” said a representative for the SITE Association of Industry. He noted that the erratic pressure makes it impossible to maintain production lines, effectively forcing factory shutdowns during peak hours.
SSGC officials told reporters that the shortfall stems from a combination of aging infrastructure and delayed LNG imports. While the company claims the schedule will protect domestic users, many households in low-pressure zones have reported near-zero supply since the announcement hit the wires yesterday.
The company has urged consumers to use gas appliances only when necessary and to avoid using boosters—a practice SSGC says is the primary cause of local line ruptures.
With temperatures dropping, the burden of these cuts falls heaviest on those without alternative fuel sources. For now, the utility provider says this schedule remains in effect until system pressure reaches a “sustainable baseline,” though they offered no specific date for when that might happen.
