Karak residents risk lives for home cooking with unsafe use of gas.
It is worth noting that the Karak district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is known for its abundant natural gas and oil resources.
However, the government has yet to construct an adequate infrastructure system to supply gas to local residents and the surrounding areas.
People have devised improvised methods, such as extracting gas from a main supply line with a hose rather than drilling and then filling plastic bags like helium balloons to transport it from the field for use in home cooking.
“We’re carrying gas in these plastic bags despite the fact that we’re all aware of the risks,” Hazrat Janan, a resident, said.
Natural gas
Natural gas was discovered in the town of Banda Daud Shah years ago, but the government has yet to develop a system to supply gas to the surrounding region, forcing residents to use a risky method and risk their lives.
The residents have drilled a hole in the main line, installed a pipe, and moved it some distance away from where they fill the plastic bags.
The residents do not measure the gas in cubic meters, but rather with a plastic bag, filling it from here and there with locally made bags.
Outsiders who see these balloons may mistake them for children’s entertainment balloons, but they are actually large bags full of fuel for people to cook their dinner.
“We use this gas with a pump connected to the stove, and we put the bags right next to the fire while cooking,” Janan explained.
He went on to say that there have been numerous accidents involving this volatile gas in which people have been injured or even killed.
“In our village, one person was found killed and two ladies were burned in an event.”
“We now have our own gas that is natural however it isn’t safe to make use of it,” he lamented.
To prevent leakage, natural gas is introduced into the bags via a small valve inserted into the mouth of the bags.
The other end of the bags is tied to a stone on the ground to keep them from flying away like helium balloons.
On average, a bag takes 20-25 minutes to fill. A 2,000 rupee electric pump is sufficient to use the “bag gas” in their homes. They can cook food on home stoves using bag gas via this pump.
One bag of gas is sufficient for two to three hours of use
Janan explained, “We asked the government to build proper gas infrastructure in our area to protect our lives.”
Suhana Khattak, another Karak resident, says that while using these balloons is similar to putting explosives in their kitchens, there is no other way to do it in a homemade manner.
“Males and females bring these gas bags home, however sometimes we send our youth to create fuel home in these plastic bags,” she explained.
She added that it is not safe and that those who do it are afraid of accidents, but there are no other options right now.
“We’re only using this gas to make tea and bread,” Suhana explained.
