[Anchor]

Nepal, which has yet to recover from the shock of massive floods, is now facing a severe LPG shortage. Because the country relies heavily on LPG due to a lack of city gas infrastructure, supply instability triggered by the Middle East crisis—combined with major roads cut off by floods—has worsened the situation significantly.

SBS correspondent Choi Go-un reports from the scene.

[Reporter]

Long lines have formed since the early morning.

These endless queues are made up of Nepali citizens trying to refill their gas cylinders.

[Modu Sarmang : (How many did you bring?) I brought three family gas cylinders. But they say we can only refill one cylinder per household.]

People carrying LPG cylinders weighing around 15 kilograms continue to flood in, and the area around the police guarding the main entrance is crowded with people asking whether they can get their gas refilled today (the 11th).

We are standing in front of a gas filling station in Nepal.

As you can see, people keep arriving carrying these LPG cylinders.

Because the daily supply capacity is only about 500 cylinders, people have no choice but to wait in endless lines.

Even getting a cylinder by waiting in line is considered fortunate.

[Maya Tamang : They say it's not possible today. I only got a waiting number, and I have no idea when my turn will come. They just tell me to wait. What are we supposed to do when we need to cook our meals?]


The gas crisis occurred because major highways used by large trucks transporting gas were severed by the recent massive floods.

A rationing system—filling gas cylinders only halfway—had already been in place since last March in the wake of the US-Iran war, and now overlapping woes have struck the country.

With no city gas available, LPG serves as the primary fuel in Nepal, leaving restaurants with high consumption in deep despair.

[Binod Maharjan : Normally, we use one or two cylinders a day, and 40 to 50 cylinders a month. Since we cannot get gas in Kathmandu, we have to load the cylinders onto vehicles and travel back and forth to where the gas transport trucks are located.]

Many people are even resorting to burning wood to cook their meals.


During the massive floods, a video of a person leaping into swollen waters to salvage an LPG cylinder drew widespread attention, reflecting just how desperate the situation is for the people of Nepal.

Although the Nepalese government has announced supply measures for cooking gas cylinders, it is expected to take time for normalcy to return.

The South Korean Disaster Relief Team's 2nd Unit arrived in Kathmandu today, carrying relief supplies such as winter clothing and blankets.

Focusing on reconstruction and recovery from the flood damage, the team will operate for an initial period of one week.

(Camera reporting: Cho Chang-hyun and Yang Ji-hun | Video editing: Jung Sung-hoon)