LAHORE – Citizens have discovered a new way to circumvent the low gas pressure and Sui gas load-shedding. A number of domestic, commercial and industrial gas consumers in the city have installed pressure pumps or compressors on their gas supply lines to boost gas pressure, Pakistan Today has learnt.
IT’S SAFE AND AFFORDABLE: Muhammad Ramazan, a refrigerator mechanic at College Road, said one could easily avoid low gas pressure by installing a used or new refrigerator compressor on the gas pipeline. He disclosed that it was a matter of few thousand rupees; reconditioned refrigerator compressors were available at Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 and new compressors were available at Rs 4,800 to Rs 6,000. He said he had installed dozens of compressors for a number of domestic and commercial consumers. He said an average refrigerator compressor produced sufficient gas pressure for stoves, heaters and geysers. Used refrigerator compressors were popular among domestic users owing to their low price, he added. He pointed out that for tandoors, bakeries and restaurants, relatively high gas pressures were required, and for the matter, air conditioner compressor or a gas pump could do the job. He underlined that the new technique was safe, as there was no gas compression or storage involved in it and were used only to boost pressure by sucking gas from pipelines.
IT’S ILLEGAL: Talking to Pakistan Today, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) spokesman said it was sheer violation of the gas supply contract, which barred consumers to install any additional appliance or equipment on the gas supply line. He said SNGPL was aware of the prevalent situation and was trying to formulate a strategy to curb irregularities. He added that SNGPL had disconnected a number of commercial and industrial gas connections on such irregularities. He said though the SNGPL had a lenient policy for domestic consumers, but the company was formulating a strategy to stop such malpractices. He said SNGPL had some 3.7 million domestic gas consumers and it was impossible for the company to check each and every consumer. The refrigerator compressors and modern gas pumps did no produce noise, which had made detections difficult.
Citizens use compressors to boost gas pressure
