Iran–Israel conflict leaves Mumbai’s dhobi ghats in a spin: LPG shortage slows dryers as washermen turn to black-market

Alongside triggering a crisis among hotels and restaurants, the shortage has had a ripple effect across Mumbai’s dhobi ghats, where washermen depend on LPG cylinders to run drying machines.

Workers use LPG to boil water for washing clothes at a laundry unit in Mumbai’s Dhobi Ghat area amid LPG supply disruptions linked to the Iran–Israel conflict. (Express Photo by Akash Patil)

The impact is being felt at several large laundromats across the city, including the 75-year-old Colaba Dhobi Ghat, Tardeo Dhobi Ghat and the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat — a Grade II-B listed heritage structure that caters to washing, ironing and bleaching of more than one lakh garments daily for clients ranging from manufacturers and restaurants to wedding planners, hotels and local laundries.

Touted as the world’s largest open-air laundromat, the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat was built in 1890 and houses 731 British-era washing stones, each operated by a family of dhobis. Over the years, with rising demand, the use of the basalt washing pens has declined as dhobis increasingly rely on washing machines and dryers.

The drying machines, dhobis say, run on LPG cylinders due to the absence of piped gas lines.

However, over the past weekend, the LPG shortage has begun disrupting routine operations, leading to delays in deliveries and escalating costs.

Workers use LPG to boil water for washing clothes at a laundry unit in Mumbai’s Dhobi Ghat area amid LPG supply disruptions linked to the Iran–Israel conflict. (Express Photo by Akash Patil)

While an LPG cylinder typically costs around Rs 900 for households and Rs 1,500–1,700 for commercial use, dhobis say prices in the black market have shot up to around Rs 1,500 for domestic cylinders and Rs 2,500–3,000 for commercial cylinders.

Speaking to *The Indian Express*, Santosh Kanojia, chairman of the Dhobi Kalyan & Audhyogik Vikas Cooperative Society, said that of the 731 dhobis at Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat, at least 50 per cent — or more than 350 washermen — rely on drying machines due to customer demand.

“These dryers run on LPG cylinders with every dhobi using at least one to two LPG cylinders daily. The BMC has initiated a drive to install piped gas lines. However, the process is still underway and that leaves all dhobis dependent entirely on LPG cylinders,” said Kanojia, adding that the current shortage has taken a significant toll on routine operations.

“Even though the gas suppliers are saying that there are no cylinders available, some agents are selling them in the black market. The shortage has affected drying of clothes and our order delivery is getting delayed by several days,” he added.

Workers use LPG to boil water for washing clothes at a laundry unit in Mumbai’s Dhobi Ghat area amid LPG supply disruptions linked to the Iran–Israel conflict. (Express Photo by Akash Patil)

A similar crisis is unfolding at the Colaba Dhobi Ghat, where operators said they have faced difficulties sourcing LPG cylinders over the past week. Built in 1951, the Colaba unit houses 136 washing stones, with nearly 50–60 dhobis relying on drying machines.

Bhaiyalal Motilal Kanojia, a dhobi and chairperson of the Colaba Dhobi Ghat, said dryers are preferred by customers because they give clothes a softer finish compared with sun-drying.

“We are dealing with immense problems as the cost of LPG cylinders has escalated significantly in the black market. While we are managing somehow by purchasing them or requesting dhobis at Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat to share the load in emergencies, we don’t know a long term solution as we can’t even increase the rates for customers,” said Bhaiyalal Kanojia.