In its fourth week, the butane cylinder crisis has eased in some governorates and escalated in others. Giza officials attributed the cylinder shortage, which has caused massive overcrowding at storehouses in Warraq, to the fact that residents from 6th October and Qalubiya are buying their cylinders from Giza.
Government measures, which include increasing Giza’s cylinder quota, have reduced overcrowding at cylinder storehouses in popular areas, said Abdalla Badawi, head of the Supply Directorate in Giza. He added that the daily quota had been raised by more than 10,000 cylinders, bringing it to a total of over 33,000. Badawi further added that daily status reports are now being prepared and presented to the governor.
Badawi also said that overcrowding has decreased in Imbaba, Haram, Omraneyya, Boulaq el-Dakrour, and Agouza.
Storehouse monitoring has been tightened, with an inspector at every storehouse overseeing the sales process and preventing street sellers from obtaining cylinders and selling them at high prices.
Many recent reports have documented the implications of the crisis. According to Badawi, one hundred reports have been filed against street vendors selling cylinders at prices higher than the official one, and another 93 reports against restaurants and shops using domestic cylinders, and nine reports against storehouses that haven’t received their full quota.
Badawi also said that Warraq was overcrowded with residents from 6th October and Qalubiya who are using cylinders for illegitimate purposes. He added that large vehicles will be supplying the area with new cylinders to offset the shortage.
Meanwhile, local council members in Giza have submitted a motion to the council accusing the government of negligence. Ragab Rawwash,a council member, said the ministries of petroleum and social solidarity had failed to deal with the crisis. Most popular districts in Giza don’t yet have gas at a time when gas is being exported to Israel, he added.
Rawwash said that Meet Oqba and Imbaba, two popular districts in Giza, have been hit worst by the crisis. He added that people have been under the mercy of ships that supply the country with gas.
In Qalubiya, the general storehouse quota has been raised and a cylinder is now sold for LE4 with strict supervision by security forces and the supply ministry delegate, in an effort to reduce overcrowding.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
