NOC Says LPG Shortage in Kathmandu Is Hoarding, Not Supply
Long queues outside gas retailers have become a familiar sight across Kathmandu Valley in recent days, and frustrated households are increasingly asking the same question: why is cooking gas so hard to find when officials insist supply is fine? The Nepal Oil Corporation says it has an answer, and it isn't a shortage at all.
In an urgent public appeal, the NOC asked citizens to stop hoarding LPG cylinders, arguing that the current wave of panic-buying is what's actually straining the market. Government figures cited by the corporation show that gas imports from India have climbed between 15 and 25 percent in recent weeks, a jump that would normally be more than enough to meet ordinary household demand.
How the Panic Started
To understand why so many households are scrambling for cylinders now, it helps to look back a few months. Citing supply uncertainties connected to earlier tensions in West Asia, the NOC had spent four months distributing only half-filled cylinders of 7.1 kilograms instead of the standard size, a precautionary move meant to stretch limited reserves across more households.
That changed on July 15, 2026, when the NOC resumed distributing full 14.2-kilogram cylinders as usual. Rather than easing pressure, the shift appears to have triggered the opposite effect.
With full-sized cylinders suddenly back in circulation, consumers rushed to retail outlets to refill every empty cylinder they had been holding onto during the half-cylinder period. That simultaneous wave of refill requests created an artificial spike in demand, overwhelming supply chains that were otherwise functioning normally.
What the Government Is Doing About It
In response to the growing queues and public frustration, the NOC has rolled out a set of immediate measures aimed at getting gas to households more directly and discouraging opportunistic hoarding by dealers.
- Direct Sales Hub: A direct sales and distribution counter has been set up at NOC's Teku office, selling cylinders from five major brands — Nepal Gas, HP Gas, Everest Gas, Sugam Gas, and Shreeram Gas — daily from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
- Emergency Hotline: Consumers unable to get gas through their usual neighborhood dealers can call the NOC hotline at 01-5971902 during office hours for assistance.
- Crackdown on Dealers: Bottling plants have been instructed to prioritize household buyers, with the government warning of strict legal action against anyone found hoarding stock or selling above official prices.
What This Means for Ordinary Households
For everyday consumers, the NOC's message is essentially one of reassurance mixed with a request for restraint: the gas is there, but buying more than immediately needed only makes the shortage feel worse for everyone else in the queue. The rush to refill backlogged cylinders after the return to full-size distribution turned a temporary adjustment into a citywide scramble.
Whether the new direct sales counters and hotline will be enough to calm the market in the short term remains to be seen, but the underlying import data suggests the supply itself is not the core problem. If anything, easing consumer anxiety may do more to fix the queues than any additional shipment of gas.
Key Takeaway
Nepal Oil Corporation maintains that the Kathmandu Valley's LPG crunch is a demand-side problem fueled by hoarding and a rush to refill cylinders after the return to full-size distribution, not a genuine drop in supply. With rising imports, new direct sales channels, and warnings against dealer exploitation now in place, officials are betting that calmer consumer behavior will resolve the shortage faster than any further increase in gas imports.
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