Large parts of Karachi will face gas supply disruptions on Sunday

• The cities affected are Baldia, Ittehad, Mauripur and Maymar.
• Supply to Surjani, North Karachi and Orangi Town remains suspended.
• Pipeline to solve low-pressure supply problems, says SSGC.

KARACHI: Gas supply to large parts of Karachi will remain suspended on Sunday as Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) will connect a 31-kilometer-long, 24-inch diameter gas distribution pipeline from MVA Attock Cement Pakistan Limited (ACPL) to Sales Meter Station (SMS) Surjani.

The SSGC has announced that it will temporarily shut off gas supply for 24 hours from 5:00 am on July 28 to 5:00 am the next day to carry out this important task.

Due to the planned closure, the following areas may be affected: Surjani Town (all sectors), North Karachi (all sectors), Manghopir Town, Qasba Town, Orangi Town (all sectors), North Nazimabad (all blocks), FB Area (all blocks), Gulberg (all blocks), Buffer Zone, SITE Industrial Area, Baldia Town, Ittehad Town, Mauripur, Gulshan-e-Maymar in Central Region, Ahsanabad, Janjal Goth and SITE Super Highway and their adjoining areas.

SSGC Managing Director Imran Maniar on Thursday inaugurated the commissioning of the pipeline, which will improve gas pressure in the western region of Karachi.

In a press release, the SSGC said the project aims to improve the company’s facilities to meet customers’ gas needs.

It said the pipeline will largely solve the problems of low-pressure gas supply to the company’s industrial customers in the western region. The cost of the entire project is Rs 3,859 crore.

“The project will separate the low-pressure domestic and commercial customers from the high-pressure industrial customers of the SITE and Hub industrial areas. The current demand of these industrial customers is about 130-140 MMSCFD, while the future excess demand is estimated at 80-100 MMSCFD.

“Hence, the demand of around 269 million cubic feet per annum would be met through this new pipeline. This pipeline will also serve as a feeder for the 16-inch diameter x 5 km long pipeline from SMS Surjani to Madinat-al-Hikmah, which is one of the five projects of SSGC’s master plan to expand the distribution network in Karachi,” the SSGC said.