Sui-Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has launched an extensive campaign against gas theft and so far disconnected 24,291 illegal connections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) provinces. According to SNGPL officials, the company within past one year has disconnected a total 24,291 illegal gas connections of which 23,737 are domestic, 54 industrial and 500 commercial. As a result of the drive, the company has saved billion of rupees.
The gas utility has lodged a total of 195 First Investigation Reports (FIRs) with police and 24 FIRs with Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). According to officials, the company was facing heavy gas losses in Karak, Kohat and Banu districts of KP where local politicians were backing the gas thieves. "As a result of political interference in checking gas theft in above mentioned districts, SNGPL in the past 4 years suffered an accumulated financial loss of Rs 13 billion", the official added.
They said that the provincial government was requested to help control gas theft as losses in southern districts were above 90 percent, but provincial Chief Minister, Pervaiz Khattak in a letter expressed his inability to co-operate with the authorities
"If the current situation persists, another 6 billion rupees will be added to losses in two years. SNGPL has made efforts to stop gas theft in the Kohat division, especially in the oil and gas producing zones, but did not succeed because local administration and the police were not co-operative", the official revealed.
Giving details of losses in the southern districts, he said that the losses amount to 10,048 Million Cubic Feet (MMCF) in financial year 2014-15, if translated into monetary terms it comes to be Rs 3.7 billion, in 2013-14 losses were 10,803 (mmcf) amounting Rs 3.75billion and were 8,124 mmcf in 2012-13 amounting to Rs 2.6 billion.
Unaccounted for Gas (UfG) since long is a serious problem for both the gas utilities, as it eats up around 350 Million Cubic Feet per Day (MMCFD) of natural gas out of 3 Billion Cubic Feet per Day (BCFD) being supplied by SNGPL and Sui-Southern Gas Company limited (SSGCL) or 11.66 percent. Given the size of the SNGPL the UfG from the network is higher, but gas theft in settled areas of KP was adding to the financial woes of the gas utility.
According to SNGPL officials locals in Karak have illegally constructed 1,600 kilometres long gas pipeline and connected it with the main supply line and were using the gas without paying a single penny since long. "The pipeline laid by the locals was substandard and mishap can take place anytime" they said. "SNGPL has repeatedly requested the provincial government to curb the gas thefts, but the provincial government did not co-operate. Once we disconnected gas supply to main distribution system locals with the help of DPOs and DCOs managed to restore the gas supply", officials deplored and added under such situation how the company officials can check gas theft.