Country's gas reserves decreasing every year: Hammad Azhar

ISLAMABAD: Energy Minister Hammad Azhar on Friday said that efforts are being made to improve the supply of gas in the system.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad today, he said the Sui Southern Gas and Sui Northern Gas companies have been directed to better manage the gas supply.

The Minister said gas demand increases in the winter, and the supply of gas to domestic consumers is preferred in this season.

He said the gas reserves in the country decrease by nine percent every year whereas the demand has been on the rise and adding that the government can provide cheaper gas to the consumer up to a certain level.

Earlier, Hammad Azhar had said that procurement of LNG is not linked to the gas shortage as it is not provided to the domestic consumers.

Speaking during ARY NEWS programme, Aietraz Hai, Hammad Azhar had said that every year there is a gas shortage in Pakistan that has only 28 percent of its households using the gas facility.

While delinking domestic gas shortage with LNG, the minister had said that households get gas supply from local resources and imported LNG is being provided to LNG power plants and factories owing to its higher cost.