ISLAMABAD: The two state companies, SSGCL and SNGPL, are compiling detailed gas supply data province-wise in their respective areas aims at identifying heavy line-loss localities and adopting required measures to prevent gas theft.
The Petroleum and Natural Resources Division has recently asked the Sui Northern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) and Sui Northern Gas Company Limited (SNGPL) to prepare a comprehensive report containing data of natural gas supply and its consumption across the country, after massive theft revelations of the commodity, official sources.
Startling disclosures were made before the National Assembly and Senate Standing Committees that 83 percent gas supply to Balochistan province was going unbilled, while Rs20 million gas theft was revealed in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) on daily basis.
“All details including volume of gas supply, theft, illegal connections, domestic and commercial consumers province-wise are being furnished, aims at devising a strategy to prevent financial loss to national exchequer,” they said.
Replying to a question, they said the total number of consumers in the Balochistan province was around 2,60,000 and the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) was supplying around 180 mmcfd (million cubic feet per day) gas against the total requirement of 130 mmcfd gas.
Giving an example of the commodity losses, they said 12 mmcfd gas was being supplied to Qalat and Ziarat areas against their demand of 7 mmcfd gas, but only 2.5 mmcfd gas reached there.
They hoped that consumers’ complaints regarding low gas pressure and gas-load management would be resolved after rectification of the identified problems.
To another question, the sources said the SNGPL was facing 95 percent gas losses in tehsil Lachi and districts Karak and Hangu of the Khyber Pakhtunkwa province.
“The locals of all these localities have obtained illegal gas connections mostly through direct taps and unconventional joining methods, which is not only a loss to the national exchequer in the shape of gas theft, but also in the form of gas wastage through leakages,” they said.
The SNGPL, the sources said, made all-out efforts to curb the losses in oil and gas producing areas with the help of Police and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
They said the company teams had put their lives at risk to disconnect illegal gas connections of industries, mostly Plaster of Paris, which got connections from the company’s network and extended to the barren terrain through plastic pipes for kilometers.
Approximately, the sources said, as per the recent data the company removed 60 illegal industrial connections and lodged 52 FIRs, besides it removed 169 illegal commercial connections and registered 155 FIRs against pilferers.
