A filling station attendant refuels a motorist's vehicle at a Dar es Salaam outlet. PHOTO|FILE
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The information and communication manager with the government-run body, Mr Titus Kaguo, said it was not safe to sell the highly inflammable fuel in areas not specified for the purpose.
Arusha. The Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (Ewura) has warned against sale of petrol in residential areas because of the likely fire hazards.
The information and communication manager with the government-run body, Mr Titus Kaguo, said it was not safe to sell the highly inflammable fuel in areas not specified for the purpose.
He gave the warning here early this week during a meeting with petrol station owners and other stakeholders in the Energy and Water sectors, including the utility consumers.
He observed that petrol and other petroleum products were now sold haphazardly in the street corners and roadsides in the advent of ‘bodabodas’, now a preferred mode of transport in the suburbs.
“There are so many unlicensed selling points that we’re much worried,” he said, noting that there were cases where the fuel was sold from homes. He described this as “very risky” for lives of the people and property in case the highly inflammable material was mishandled.
Mr Kaguo said although Ewura was aware of the high cost of establishing a petrol station, there was no justification to sell petrol outside such specified areas (licensed stations) where fire outbreaks can be easily contained unlike at homes. According to him, construction of a petrol station needs an investment of up to Sh500 million.
He added that since many petrol stations were located in urban areas, Ewura had guidelines to assist small-scale sellers of the fuel, targeting the rural areas. He did not elaborate.
However, he insisted that safety measures for sale of petrol and other petroleum products remained the same and that they could not be compromised for the benefit of the small-scale dealers.
The Ewura’s director of Petroleum, Mr Godwin Samwel, said the government was committed to ensure they turn to natural gas for their energy requirements. He said natural gas was environmentally friendly compared to the hydrocarbons.
Petroleum dealers Christopher Kamwana and Abdul Aziz expressed investors’ in petrol stations concerns on high fees imposed on environmental audit by the National Environment Management Council (Nemc).
They said the national environmental watchdog charged a staggering Sh7 million which they described as too high, especially for traders with little capital.
They, however, appreciated efforts by Ewura on license holders who compromised with the quality of petrol by diluting it or adding other chemicals, saying the authority had ensured the practice had been largely contained.
