Gas shortages push India's poor back to wood and coal
NEW DELHI: Soaring black-market prices of cooking gas in India's capital are pushing poorer families back to wood and coal, raising wellbeing risks
An illustrative image related to: Gas shortages push India's poor back to wood and coal, highlighting key aspects of the story. | Image source: Geo News
Gas shortages push India's poor back to wood and coal
NEW DELHI: Soaring black-market prices of cooking gas in India's capital are pushing poorer families back to wood and coal, raising wellbeing risks and worsening air quality in the highly polluted megacity.
India is the world's second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is used for cooking and predominantly sourced from the Middle East — and supplies have been strangled by the ongoing conflict.
India's Premier Narendra Modi has urged states to curb black marketing and avoid panic, stressing that India's energy supplies remain stable.
In the low-income Madanpur Khadar neighbourhood, 36-year-old domestic helper Sheela Kumari states she has been forced to abandon LPG cooking gas cylinders for cooking after prices more than doubled.
"We used to buy cylinders for INR 1,800-2,000 ($19-$21), but now on the black market it has gone up to 5,000 ($53)," she informed AFP , nearly as much as she entire monthly salary of INR 6,000.
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