Every morning, Shakuntala Devi and Shakiba Bibi – neighbours at a slum in India's capital Delhi – leave their homes, walking from one shop to another in search of a cooking gas cylinder. For three weeks now, they have returned empty-handed.
If it continues like this for a few more days, we will run out of gas in our kitchens and have to return to our villages, Shakuntala says.
Shakuntala, Shakiba, and many of their neighbours who join them in the cylinder hunt work as domestic helpers in middle-class neighbourhoods near the slum, earning around 15,000 rupees (£122; $161) a month. Their families migrated to Delhi from villages in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and eastern Bihar state over the past decade.
The disruption to global shipments caused by the war in the Middle East has strained cooking gas supplies in India. Many people are finding it difficult to access Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders, the most widely used cooking fuel in the country.
India depends heavily on LPG imports, much of which reaches the country through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow, critical shipping route affected by the conflict. While Iran is now allowing Indian vessels to pass, the situation is still uncertain.
The government asserts that there is no shortage of LPG and has ramped up domestic production. However, migrant workers in large cities are worried about their access to essential cooking fuel.
The BBC spoke to nearly 30 migrant workers in Delhi who indicated that they would have to return to their villages if the gas shortages persist. Visuals from crowded railways and bus terminals imply similar trends in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
Some report being forced into alternative energy sources due to the increase in cooking gas costs and shortages. Others are left grappling with reduced access to their livelihoods.
Experts warn of potential long-term impacts on micro and small enterprises, particularly in labor-intensive sectors like textiles and manufacturing if the reverse migration trend continues.
While the situation may not seem critical at the moment, the longer the crisis lasts, the more families may be impacted by their return to rural settings.
I have not been able to get a gas cylinder for nearly four weeks, one tea shop owner remarked, as she resorted to using firewood as a substitute.
The challenges of accessing cooking gas reflect broader issues facing the informal workforce, who often lack the documentation necessary to secure gas supplies through official channels.
