RAWALPINDI: Punjab Emergency Service (PES) Rescue-1122 Rawalpindi here on Sunday appealed to the citizens to use gas appliances carefully and properly switch off gas equipment before going to bed to avoid any mishap.

According to Rescue-1122 spokesman, due to prevailing crisis of gas shortage the people indulge in using alternate measures like using cylinder and compressor in their houses.

It has been noted that many residents use fridge compressor to suck in more Sui gas to increase its flow. In the past, a number of the cases have been reported in which precious lives were perished and millions of rupees burnt to ashes due to carelessness and negligence in the use of gas appliances.

According to a survey, acute shortage of gas has made the lives of the people miserable. Mostly localities in Rawalpindi including Committee Chowk, Dhoke Khaba, Umer Road, Dhoke Elahi Bukush, Nadeem Colony, Arya Mohallah, Pirwadhai, Adiala Road, Bakra Mandi, Dhoke Syedan, Sadiqabad, Muslim Town, Dhamial, Qasim Market, Satellite Town, Chur, Allahabad, Chah Sultan, Asghar Mall, Pindora and several other areas.

People belonging to different walks of life told APP that they could not afford to buy food from hotels at higher rates due to shortage gas.

District Emergency Officer, Rescue-1122 Rawalpindi Eng Kamran Rashid advised the citizens to properly switch off gas appliances before going to bed to avoid risks of fire and casualties.

The citizens before going to bed should ensure that the room heaters are properly switched off and the gas valve is closed to avoid leakages.

He said that people use gas heaters in airtight rooms during the winter season which might lead to death due to the absence of adequate fresh oxygen intake.

The DEO advised the citizens to adopt precautionary measures during winter to avoid gas explosions.

He said, “There is a need for launching an awareness campaign among the people about safety protocols as every year in winter, there had been reports of casualties due to incidents of gas explosions caused by gas leakage from appliances, mostly from substandard portable gas heaters.”

Several gas explosions were reported in different areas of the Rawalpindi district last winter, he added.

The people know little about how to detect gas leakage, what to do in case of fire and how to provide immediate medical assistance to the burn victims before shifting them to a hospital.

“If there is a smell of gas inside your room or shop, then don’t smoke or light a match, don’t turn on a light, don’t operate any electrical appliance, don’t use a flashlight or lighter and leave the place immediately.

The people should turn off the main gas valve, if possible, leave the doors open, and call the gas or Rescue personnel,” he added.