The poor state of roads coupled with the current rainy season and accompanying flooding have led to fuel shortages in and around Lake State capital, Rumbek.
Rumbek mayor, Andrew Mangui Mading, told Radio Tamazuj that since the road conditions are bad, he had informed fuel stations within Rumbek capital not to allow anyone taking away more than 10 drums of fuel from Lakes State.
“I have stopped fuel stations inside the town from supplying fuel outside Rumbek town. I will also have a meeting with all the fuel station managers so that we discuss why there is not fuel and if there is enough fuel then we will have no problem with them,” Rumbek mayor Andrew Mangui Mading said. “If the fuel is little then it will be used only within the towns of Rumbek, Yirol, Cueibet, and Wulu.”
The mayor, however, said he had not ordered the closure of any fuel station in Rumbek but qualified that anyone who wants fuel for generators should be sold 40 to 60 litres of fuel and not more.
Mayor Mading said the set price for fuel is 400 SSP per litre of fuel, “and I am not allowing the price to shoot up because this price was set very recently.”
“The reason why fuel is scarce in Rumbek is due to the poor condition of roads connecting Juba-Rumbek now. All goods come from Juba through Mundri, Mvolo to Rumbek, but movement from Juba through Yirol to Rumbek had to stop due to flooding,” Mading said.
The mayor acknowledged that there is some insecurity on the Juba-Mundri-Mvolo-Rumbek road but said heavy goods vehicles continue to use the road.
TAAM fuel station Manager, Hussein Adome, said that his station is the only place supplying fuel at the set price to motorists out of the nine other fuel stations operating in Rumbek town.
“We have a lot of challenges facing supply of fuel to Rumbek, particularly the issue of dollar prices, flooding, and insecurity on the way to Rumbek,” Hussein Adome said.