ADEN, Mar 21 (NNN-YPA) – A severe shortage of cooking gas struck several regions of Yemen, multiplying the suffering of millions of people living in the war-ravaged Arab country.
During the past few days, many fuel stations in several main cities run out of cooking gas, forcing numerous bakeries to close their doors.
Officials said that, the gas shortage continued spreading and included new areas under the control of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government.
In the southern port city of Aden, Yemen’s temporary capital, many people were seen lining up at fuel pumps, waiting to refill their cooking gas cylinders.
“Every time, I spent several hours standing in line until I refilled my cooking gas cylinder, and this is much less than what I need,” Ahmed Jalal, a man living in Aden, said, adding that, his family needs at least four gas cylinders to cook throughout the whole month.
“Because of the cooking gas shortage crisis, the quota is limited,” Jalal lamented.
Due to the ongoing war, the production of gas is not enough to meet the high demand of the local market, an official of Aden’s local authority said.
“The inequitable distribution of gas also participated in creating this acute crisis, as some provinces get fewer quantities of cooking gas supplies,” said the official.
In other provinces, controlled by the Houthi militia, lack of fuel and cooking gas has had a terrible impact on local people’s quality of life and created a new woe.
Hundreds of vehicles are waiting in long lines in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, to get their tanks refilled as the ongoing fuel shortage keeps getting worse.
Yemen relies on commercial imports for about 90 percent of its food and nearly all its fuel and other essential goods.
Fuel imports have also fallen sharply through Hodeidah port. Fuel volumes in Feb were less than half the average. This drop is contributing to fuel shortages and price rises, which are likely to become even more acute as the energy prices globally continue to rise, he said.– NNN-YPA
