The deepening political tension between Iran and America is no longer just the headlines of international news, but now its direct and deadly impact has reached the kitchen of the common man. Today, Karachi is facing an energy crisis, which has forced its citizens to risk their lives.
These days, in the narrow streets of Karachi, instead of inflation and politics, the discussion is more about whether food will be cooked at home today?
Shortage of LPG and changing daily routine
Gas shortage has created an outcry in densely populated areas like Orangi Town and Mominabad of Karachi. The gas pressure in the pipelines is so low that it has become impossible to light the stove. People wait for the gas to arrive with the first rays of the morning, but even after waiting for hours, they feel disappointed. This shortage has completely ruined people’s daily routine.
Plastic balloons a compulsion or ‘moving bombs’?
According to ARY News, to meet the gas shortage, people of Karachi are now storing gas in ‘plastic balloons’. This may sound like a scene from a horror movie, but this is the bitter reality here. As soon as slow gas comes for some time, people fill it in big plastic balloons through electric suction pumps. These special types of plastic bags are being sold in the market for Rs 1000 to 1500. This is a huge investment for the poor class, but they have no other option but to light the stove.
Plastic bags are inviting death
Experts and security experts have termed these balloons as ‘mobile bombs’. Keeping plastic bags filled with gas in these areas with narrow streets and small rooms is like inviting death. Even minor friction while filling plastic with gas and transporting it from one place to another can cause a massive explosion. If an accident happens in even one house, it can engulf the entire locality. People know it is dangerous, but they do not have the option to choose between ‘hunger’ and ‘danger’.