The Maravi Post

LILONGWE--Motorists in Lilongwe have once again been hit by shortage of fuel and some service stations have abruptly closed.

This comes just a few days after government’s upward adjustment of fuel prices through the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA).

And there is fear that the problem might hit the commercial city of Blantyre. As motorist are moving up and down in Lilongwe searching for the commodity, some motorists MaraPost bumped into said they were trying to buy and keep some fuel for later use. 

 “I am trying to buy enough fuel to keep me going in the event of fuel shortage in Blantyre,” said Chilobwe resident Richard Phiri.

Mzuzu was the first to experience fuel problems last week. In Lilongwe, long vehicle queues resurfaced Monday. But the Petroleum Importers Limited has attributed the shortage to a sudden surge in demand particularly in Lilongwe.

PIL said this week that motorists should not panic as they were trying to normalize the situation.  However, PIL conceded not to have been prepared for the unexpected surge in demand that has seen the volumes that are consumed in a week being depleted n just two days.

 Meanwhile PIL says it has about 12 million litres of fuel at Beira and that they are expecting 1.8 million litres of petrol and diesel to be ferried to Malawi from Nacala.
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©2012 The Maravi Post. Reproduction without acknowledgment prohibited.

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