BY ZACHERY PER
FOUR of the five Highlands provinces hit by the landslip at Daulo Pass section of the Eastern Highlands province are bracing for a major fuel crisis.
The crisis, which also affects supplies of basic goods and services, is looming unless immediate debris clearance work at the affected area is carried out, which is about 2.5km long and over 100m to 200m thick.
Fuel depots and services stations in Simbu, Western Highlands, Enga and Southern Highlands province yesterday reported their fuel tanks have started to run dry.
The highly demanded fuel includes diesel, petrol, kerosene and aviation gas.
Joe Siwi an employee with the IPL (PNG) Ltd, Aviation Fuel Depot at Kagamuga outside Mt Hagen city Western Highlands province told The National that they had only 50,000 liters left, which was likely to last one week.
He, however, said it would then depend on the number of flights, adding that with more aircraft needing fuel, they are likely to run low in less than a week.
“If the highway remains closed we have no choice but to cease operation and wait for the road to reopen,” Mr Siwi said.
Senior sales representative with Mt Hagen’s Nuigini Oil Co, Asen Kumbamong said they were experiencing fuel shortages since last week.
He said they received four tanks of diesel last Monday, which ran out the next day.
Mr Kumbamong said the diesel tanks remained dry, while 700 litres of petrol remaining were expected to finish tomorrow.
They had some litres of kerosene left.
“We rely heavily on the Highlands Highway for fuel supplies, when it is shut down we simply cannot operate and wait for the highway to be opened up,” he said.
Employees who declined to be named at Inter Oil depot in the Highlands also confirmed running low with fuel supplies and their tanks started to run dry.
The operations department of IPI Transport, the major fuel freighter of the giant Porgera Gold Mine in Enga province said the mother nature was unfriendly to business operations in the highlands especially trucking companies.
IPI said fuel bound for Porgera are left stranded in Lae, adding that half of their fleet of trucks are left stranded in the western end of the landslip, which they need in Lae to immediately freight fuel to Porgera.
It is believed Porgera Gold Mine would face threats to its operation should there be a prolonged delay in the re-opening of the highway.
Employees at the only two Simbu service stations in Kundiawa town confirmed they ran out of fuel, and that they had no choice but only to wait for the landslip at Daulo to be cleared.
Number of service stations in Enga and Southern provinces contacted also confirmed acute shortages in fuel. They anticipate that within the next few days all movement of vehicles would grind to a complete halt over fuel shortages.