Use of LP gas in Humla on sharp rise

By Rajan Rawat, Humla, Oct. 2: The number of people using cooking gas has been on the sharp rise although the Himalayan district is yet to be connected to the national road network.

Hira Shahi, a local of Sarkegarda, center of the Sarkegard Rural Municipality, said that out of 170 households in the locality, 150 have started using liquified petroleum (LP) gas for cooking. There were only 15 households using the gas till a few years.

He said the lack of regularity of the electricity supply and difficulty in getting firewood had attracted consumers to using the cooking gas.

Comparatively using LP gas is cheaper as well which has also lured people to use it, he added.

A cylinder of LP gas costs 4,500 at Sarkegard, where the gas is transported by donkeys for half an hour from the highway.

It costs only 4,000 at Piplang, the center of Salisalla and Changkheli RM, where it is transported by vehicle.

Gita Lama of Simkot, the district headquarters, said that over 220 households have started using LP gas now as the price of a cylinder has decreased to 6,500 from 14,000 till six months ago. Only 20 households were using gas till that time.

Lokendra Shahi, a gas merchant in Simkot, said the number of households using cooking gas has increased by ten folds compared to the number six months ago.

I used to bring in and sell about 15 cylinders a month then, now I need to manage some 60 cylinders a month, he said.