Poor quality oil floods Kabul filling stations

Trucker Ghulam Hussain said: “The quality of oil is poor and damages diesel-run vehicles.” He complained hed had to visit mechanics twice over the past week after filling his truck in the Baraki area and other filling stations.

A taxi driver, Azizullah, said low-quality fuel that damaged engines of vehicles was a major source of environmental pollution. “The substandard fuel reduces vehicles’ speed, damages the engine and other parts of vehicles. I have to pay 1,500 afghanis to have my vehicle fixed.”

In charge of Baraki filling station, Amanudin, acknowledged that a huge quantity of low-quality fuel was being brought to Kabul on a daily basis, but the government had been unable to address the issue.

ANSA Deputy Director Mujibur Rahman Khatir confirmed the problem, saying the oils came through smuggling routes in southern and western parts of the country.

He added they had set up branches at Hairatan and Aqina ports in the north to prevent the import of substandard oils. Efforts were underway to install mobile laboratories along highways to check oil quality, he concluded.