Shafaq News-Baghdad
A worseninggasoline shortage has driven many Baghdad residents back to the black market,where fuel is selling at up to three times the official price, while longqueues and empty stations continue to disrupt daily life despite Iraq being oneof the region's largest oil producers.
Hours-longwaits have become routine across the Iraqi capital and other provinces, withsome stations running out of fuel before serving all waiting vehicles.
Speakingwith Shafaq News, taxi driver Hassan Abdul Ali Hammadi recounted spending morethan two hours in line at a fuel station only to see supplies run out beforehis turn. Unable to find gasoline elsewhere, he resorted to buying fuel fromroadside vendors for about 5,000 Iraqi dinars (≈ $3.25) per one and a halfliters.
Similarscenes have been reported across the capital, where some motorists said theyspent the night inside their vehicles waiting for fuel deliveries at dawn asstations imposed limited sales amid growing congestion.
Driver AbdulKarim Lafta explained that he moved between several empty stations beforewaiting until morning to refuel. "I had no alternative because my workdepends entirely on my car," he said.
Someconsumers also warned that fuel purchased from unofficial sellers may be mixedwith water or other substances, leading to repeated mechanical problems. Oneresident, Mousa Sahib, described how his vehicle began losing power after hebought gasoline from the black market when nearby stations ran dry.
Thedisruption has also increased transportation costs. Baghdad resident Wisan Alisaid her daily commuting expenses doubled from 5,000 dinars to 10,000 dinars asfuel became harder to obtain. "I don't argue with the drivers because Iknow how difficult it is for them to get gasoline," she remarked.
The OilMinistry had attributed the shortfall in gasoline supplies to regionaldevelopments and the withdrawal of a foreign company from a key project atsouthern refineries, resulting in the loss of between 4 million and 5 millionliters of high-octane gasoline per day.
Theexplanation came days after ministry spokesperson Abdul-Sahib BazzounAl-Hassnawi dismissed reports of a gasoline shortage and attributed congestionat fuel stations to rising fuel consumption amid soaring temperatures. Theministry later removed him from the post and appointed Salim Farhoud Hussein,director of the Economic Studies Department, as its new spokesperson, whostressed that the gasoline crisis remained a top-priority issue and that theministry was mobilizing its resources and affiliated bodies to address thesituation at fuel stations.
To safeguardenergy supplies, Iraq's High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) called onauthorities to strengthen domestic production and expand refining capacity.
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