The Pakistani government, reeling from the effects of a collapsing economy, has failed to supply its inhabitants with basic necessities, forcing them to utilise plastic bags to meet their LPG (cooking gas) demands. As horrifying as it may sound, Pakistanis in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region are using plastic bags to store LPG since a drop in the availability of cooking gas cylinders has led the merchants to shorten the supply.
According to sources, the Karak region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has not offered gas connections to residents since 2007, while Hangu city has not had a gas connection for the past two years due to the pipeline that transports the gas being left unrepaired ever since it broke down.
HOW IS GAS STORED IN PLASTIC BAGS?
Gas sellers use a compressor to compress LPG into a plastic bag before sealing the bag’s opening with a nozzle and valve. Filling the plastic bag with three to four kilogrammes of gas takes around an hour. Ironically, the Kyber Pakhtunkhwa area saw the extraction of almost 85 barrels of oil and 64,967 million cubic feet of gas in 2020. Nevertheless, because commercial gas cylinders cost about 10,000 Pakistani rupees, consumers are forced to purchase gas in plastic bags for Rs 500 to Rs 900.
RIVETED RISK
Carrying gas in a plastic bag increases the blast danger since it is seen to be no less than a moving bomb. According to a source, at least eight persons were brought to a burn treatment centre of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences after suffering injuries as a result of these plastic bags.
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