Rawalpindi, Nov. 1 -- Severe gas shortages and soaring liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices have pushed low- and middle-income households in Rawalpindi back to traditional cooking fuels, including firewood, coal and kerosene oil, as winter approaches, as reported by The Express Tribune.

According to The Express Tribune, with natural gas available for barely six hours daily, families are struggling to manage their household expenses. The growing reliance on alternative fuels has also reportedly increased the demand for firewood, contributing to the theft of timber from public and privately owned forests. Prices of coal and firewood have witnessed a substantial rise during the winter season.

Coal is currently selling between PKR 800 and P...