Gas shortage hit Egyptian cities

CAIRO - Egyptian drivers who believed their country was undergoing a petrol shortage on Monday flocked to gas stations in several cities such as Cairo, Alexandria and Arish, regardless of the government's pledge of not raising the price.

In Maadi district of Cairo, around 30 cars and trucks queued up at a gas station. Drivers who battled for a better position sat in their cars, sounding horns from time to time.

There was only RON95 petrol sold at 2.75 Egyptian pounds per liter available at this station, while other cheaper types of petrol has been sold out, microbus driver Ibrahim told Xinhua.

"The petrol crisis began a week ago and reasons behind may be attempts to curb the celebration on January 25," said Ibrahim, who waited for two hours to fuel his microbus.

A worker pumps fuel at a petrol station in Cairo January 16, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

"We also suffered from a diesel crisis in previous months, so this crisis is not the first of its kind," he added.

"There should be a final solution because the country could fall into chaos if there is no petrol," said Ibrahim, who quarreled several times with other drivers during the waiting.

The shortage has forced the closure of many gas stations in Cairo. In Alexandria, gas stations put up the sign of "sorry, no petrol here" at the entrance.

The absence of RON80 and RON90 petrol revived the black market, where drivers flocked to fuel regardless of the prices. Alexandria police intensified inspection campaigns to prevent the monopoly and confiscated trucks collecting RON80 petrol in the governorate.

"I knew that there is a petrol crisis since last Thursday, and I waited for an hour to fuel," said Laila, a car owner.

The crisis could be caused by two reasons, namely the increase of consumption and the spreading of rumors, an official of the Ministry of Petroleum told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The increase of cars around Egypt raised the demand for petrol, but the gas stations' share from their headquarters was not changed, said the official. There were also rumors claiming that the crisis happened because somebody wanted to curb the mass demonstrations on January 25 to mark the anniversary of the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak.

"There are also rumors saying that petrol supplies are short and fuel prices will be increased," said the official.

Hemdan Nour el-Din, a consultant engineer company in Alexandria, blamed the crisis on the lack of supervision. Without sufficient supervision, some business tycoons tried to buy huge quantities of gasoline and sell it at much higher prices.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri's government denied the shortage of supply, vowing that the government had no intention at all to increase the prices of gasoline and diesel within the coming stage.

The quantity of fuel available in the market was more than required and hence there was no crisis, said Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Fayza Abul-Naga.

The government was coordinating efforts to end the gasoline and butane gas crisis, official news agency MENA quoted Minister of Local Development Mohamed Ahmed Attiyah as saying.

He said that the government was taking all necessary measures to extinguish the black market, vowing to punish all stations that refuse to sell in Egypt.

Despite clarifications from the government, protests were organized on Monday night outside the cabinet premises, leading the nearby Salah Salem street to be completely crammed with vehicles.

Lorry drivers have also been protesting outside Al-Azhar University, creating traffic congestion in Cairo's Heliopolis, Ring Road, October Bridge and May 15 Bridge, causing a complete standstill in the east of the city.