Karachi’s gas supply hit a breaking point Tuesday morning when construction crews working on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project ruptured a primary distribution line. The damage, occurring near the University Road corridor, has left thousands of households and businesses across surrounding neighborhoods without fuel.
Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) crews arrived on-site within an hour, but the scale of the leak forced an immediate shutdown of the main valve to prevent a fire. Residents in areas including Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Abul Hassan Ispahani Road, and parts of Gulistan-e-Jauhar reported a complete drop in pressure shortly after 10 a.m.
The rupture is the latest in a series of infrastructure clashes plaguing the multi-billion rupee Red Line project. Utility providers and the construction contractors have traded blame for months over the lack of precise mapping for underground lines, which frequently leads to accidental strikes during excavation.
“We are dealing with a massive breach,” an SSGC spokesperson said. “Repairing the line is the priority, but it’s not a simple patch job. We have to ensure the area is safe before we can even think about restoring flow.”
For the average resident, the timing is brutal. Many households were in the middle of morning meal preparation when the taps ran dry. With no clear timeline for restoration, local restaurants and small-scale food vendors are bracing for a full day of lost revenue.
The project management team for the Red Line has yet to issue a formal apology, instead citing the “complex web of aging, unmapped utility lines” beneath the city’s surface as a constant hurdle.
