ARUSHA, Tanzania, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's semi-autonomous Zanzibar is facing a shortage of petroleum fuel, the situation that led to long queues in the few filling stations, authorities said on Thursday.
Haji Kali, Director General of the Zanzibar Utilities Regulatory Authority, acknowledged the situation, revealing that the island has a stock of 529,636 liters which are only enough for three days.
Kali said the government was making efforts to import more petroleum to change the situation before things get worse.
"We're working hard and I ask the motorists and the general public to remain calm when we're working hard to normalize the situation," he said in an interview with Xinhua.
According to him, last week over 880 tonnes of petroleum products were imported, but they were not allowed to enter the marker over quality issues.
He said that the products were found with a high amount of water at 2.5 percent, which is higher than the acceptable standard of 0.02 percent.
Petroleum was being provided in very few filling stations in Zanzibar by Thursday, leading to massive inconvenience and disruption in social and economic activities.
Ali Makame, a public vehicle driver, said the business was affected massively due to the shortage of petroleum in the petrol stations.
"We are making huge losses as we spend most of the day waiting in the queue instead driving passengers to their destinations," Makame said.
Zanzibar requires 10 million liters of fuel monthly on average, which includes kerosene, petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel.
