Kabul residents say low quality fuel still sold in market

KABUL (Pajhwok): Kabul residents complain low quality fuel is sold in some parts of the central capital at a time when the National Standards Agency says it denied entry to 1,000 tankers importing low-quality oil to the country in the past one year.

About the issue, a taxi driver in Kabul City, Mohammad Alam, told Pajhwok Afghan News that low-quality fuel was still being sold in some areas of the city.

He said the government used to check the quality of oil being imported to  the country, still some pumps sold inferior quality fuel in some areas.

He added: “A few days ago, I filled fuel in my car in an area, it was of poor quality and the car engine started making a kind of noise and then it stopped moving properly.”

Similarly, another resident of Kabul, Nawab, also complained about the availability of low-quality oil.

He said poor quality oil not only damaged engines, but also polluted the air, asking the government to pay attention to the problem.

Another motorist in Kabul, Rohullah, told Pajhwok that he avoided refueling his car anywhere because of the fear of bad fuel.

He did not provide exact information, but said: “Even now, low-quality fuel is being sold in many places in Kabul.”

A number of other people made similar complaints and urged the government to prevent the sale of low-quality fuel.

However, Ashiqullah Waziri, the spokesperson of the National Standards Agency, told Pajhwok that 80 percent transparency had been ensured in the quality and standardization of petroleum products.

He added the quality of all petroleum projects was checked at all ports of the country.

He said they were considering extensive programs in this regard and they used to monitor fuel pumps in the city and the market and had set up checkpoints on highways in order to prevent mixing of other materials in fuel.

Waziri said efforts were underway to prevent the sale of low quality fuel and people’s complaints in this regard would be addressed in near future.

Previously, National Standards Agency officials during a meeting in Kabul said that about petroleum products in 60,000 tankers were imported to the country last year and of them 1,000 tankers of low-quality goods were returned.

Last year, 100 fuel storage and pumping stations in Kabul were closed over the sale of inferior quality fuel and other problems.

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