Sui Southern Gas Company says a temporary increase in odorant is behind the stronger gas smell reported in parts of Karachi, and that no leak has occurred (Geo News).
“The system pressures remain normal, and no gas leakage has been reported,” the company said, explaining that testing of its odorisation plants was under way as part of the pipeline commissioning process.
An increased amount of odorant was added to natural gas, which the company said may cause a stronger smell in some areas.
SSGC said the higher concentration had led to complaints of suspected leaks from several localities, but reiterated that the smell was solely the result of the ongoing testing.
The explanation is plausible on its face. Natural gas is odourless, and the sulphur compound added to make leaks detectable is deliberately overpowering at very low concentrations — so a testing overdose produces exactly the symptom reported, without any escape of gas.
The company urged consumers to remain calm and continue their daily routines, saying the distribution system was operating within normal parameters.
The account is the utility’s own, and no independent assessment of the network has been published. SSGC has not said how long the testing will continue.
The reassurance carries a recent history. In April a Karachi court found SSGC guilty of negligence over a 2022 gas line explosion in Orangi Town’s Millat Colony that killed two people, ordering the company to pay Rs30 million in compensation to the affected family within a month. Residents who smell gas are ordinarily advised to report it rather than assume a benign cause.
