Fuel shortage pushes
prices up
Kerosene has been in
short supply on Savu for some months,
pushing the price to Rp.2000/bottle, 2½
times the usual price of Rp.800/bottle.
Kupang Regional Assembly Member, Mr Lay
Jeferson, called on the Government to
resolve the crisis, by making an urgent
delivery of fuel to Savu. However, the
head of the Kupang Regency Office, Drs.
Ibrahim Medah, was not available for
comment when Pos Kupang called his office
for a response. "His excellency is
busy and cannot be disturbed yet."
his secretary declared. Drs. Medah later
informed Pos Kupang that he had met with
the distributor, the agent and the
shipping company to discuss the problem,
which has also seen the price of petrol
increase from Rp.2000/litre to
Rp.6000/litre.
It turns out that the fuel shortage is
due to a logistical problem concerning
its delivery. Apparently, it is not
profitable for the shipping company,
Kupang Maritime Regional Company, to
transport small quantities of fuel to
Savu. So, the distributor, Toko Piet
Kupang, has agreed to provide two tanks
for kerosene, while the agent will
provide one.
Kerocene is widely used for lighting on
Savu, so the people have been forced to
improvise. For example, coconut oil is
used instead of candles, which are still
considered a luxury. The coconut oil is
typically placed in a baby clam shell
with a wad of raw cotton for a wick.
Copyright ©
2007 Ina Tali/Francesca Von Reinhaart.
© Raijua.com
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