The shortage of cooking gas has worsened in Kathmandu, with consumers increasingly struggling to obtain LPG cylinders.
Unable to get gas easily, consumers have been forced to spend the night waiting in lines at gas plants and depots.
On Sunday, hundreds of consumers formed a long queue at the premises of Shree Krishna Gas Industry in Kalanki to purchase cooking gas.
More than 400 gas cylinders had been placed in a queue inside the industry premises.
Each cylinder had been assigned a number. Consumers had arrived at the plant and started waiting in line from midnight in the hope of getting gas.
One consumer who had come from Tokha said that he arrived at the plant at around 1:45 a.m. and joined the queue. “I’ve been standing in line since last night, hoping I can get gas,” he said.
Another consumer from Chandragiri-7 said that his household had run out of gas seven days ago, but he had been unable to find a cylinder anywhere.
According to him, he had been visiting Shree Krishna Gas Industry for the past three days in search of gas. He said this was the first time in his 25 years of living in Kathmandu that he had experienced such a severe shortage.
As the crowd of consumers grew too large, the industry gave coupons to some people and sent them back. Having to wait in line for hours to obtain gas has added to consumers’ difficulties.
The gas supply in Kathmandu had already been insufficient, and the recent floods have made the situation even worse.
Gas tankers have been unable to enter Kathmandu after floods in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers disrupted major highways.
The road blockages have disrupted the regular transportation of cooking gas to Kathmandu.
With transportation disrupted, gas suppliers have been trying to fill and bottle gas outside Kathmandu and then transport the cylinders into the capital.
However, the disruption of the usual supply system – in which gas is transported to Kathmandu by tanker and then distributed through local bottling plants – has reduced the availability of LPG in the market.
The combination of flood-related road blockages and the pre-existing shortage of gas has resulted in an acute shortage across the Kathmandu Valley.
Having run out of cooking gas, consumers have been forced to carry their cylinders to gas plants and depots and wait in queues for hours.
