2026-07-05T14:59:38+00:00
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Shafaq News- Diyala
Recurring gasoline shortages in Iraq’s Diyala province are
disrupting the livelihoods of taxi drivers and forcing residents to change
their daily routines, as long hours spent searching for fuel reduce incomes and
strain transportation.
Ghassan Al-Zuhairi, a taxi driver, told Shafaq News on Sunday
that fuel had been readily available in previous years, but the crisis has
become a persistent problem in recent months with no government solution in
sight. When the gauge drops to a quarter of a tank, my entire day changes, he
said. “Instead of thinking about work, I start calling colleagues and
checking WhatsApp groups to find out which station has gasoline. Sometimes I
visit several stations and still return without filling the tank.”
According to taxi driver Ayad Al-Taie, many drivers are
considering raising fares to offset the time and costs associated with the shortage.
“When you lose hours of your day moving between gas stations, it’s only
natural to try to recover part of that loss.”
The Head of the Energy Committee at the Diyala Provincial
Council, Faris Muzahim, attributed the deficiency to inadequate allocations, as
the province receives around 1.1 million liters of gasoline per day, while its
daily demand reaches 1.5 million liters. The provincial council has repeatedly
asked the Oil Ministry to increase Diyala’s allocation.
Additionally, Diyala’s strategic location contributes to
higher fuel consumption because it serves as a transit route linking Baghdad
with the Kurdistan Region and is crossed by large numbers of travelers and
pilgrims arriving from Iran on their way to Iraq’s holy shrines.
He warned that the gasoline shortage has evolved beyond a
service problem into an economic challenge affecting market activity and
household incomes, calling for higher fuel allocations, more efficient
distribution, strategic reserves, and tighter oversight to prevent black market
sales.