Public concerns of not getting heating fuel after the delay of distribution in Kobani

The Directorate of hydrocarbons in the Euphrates Region (an administrative division comprising Kobani Ein Issa, Serrin, and Tal Abyad) started distributing heating fuel for the residents on Monday in preparation for the upcoming winter. 

The distributions are conducted through neighborhood communes (local councils), which collected family books and handed them over to the hydrocarbons directorate, which in turn has provided special cards for the distribution of the heating fuel and domestic gas. 

The head of the commune of the neighborhood of “Martyr Kawa” in Kobani, Abdul Aziz Sheikho told North-Press that an amount of 300 liters of diesel is being distributed as a first batch of the total amount of 600 liters per family. 

Mr. Sheikho added that the heating fuel is sold at SYP 75 per liter (11 cents), pointing out that most people are dissatisfied with the price, because of its rise compared to last year by SYP 20 per liter, in light of the difficult financial situation of the citizens. 

Sheikho stressed that the fare of the owners of tankers to deliver fuel for the people amounted to SYP 1,000 per card, explaining that some people have two or more cards, and that the fare allocated to the owners of the tankers is considered high and disproportionate for the income of the citizens, noting that each filled tanker with diesel is enough for 13 families. 

In turn, the official of the work of fuel tankers in Kobani, Aladdin Tayyar said that defining the fare of the owners of tankers at SYP 1,000 per 300 liter came after a decision from the Directorate of Supplements in the city. 

Mr. Tayyar added that 18 tankers for the distribution process of hydrocarbons are operating in the city, pointing out that the tankers started distributing heating fuel yesterday in three districts of the city of Kobani (Martyr Kawa, Martyr Abdo and Kaniya Kurdan neighborhoods). 

While the residents of some neighborhoods of the city fear the delay in the arrival of fuel after the start of winter, especially as the Directorate of Hydrocarbons was late by more than two months in the distribution, when compared to last year’s.

The head of the Directorate of Hydrocarbons in the Euphrates Region, Massoud Bouzi told North-Press that the hydrocarbons directorate has begun preparing cards to grant heating fuel in July and defined the mechanism of the distribution through communes in the cities of Kobani and Tal Abyad. 

Bouzi explained that the amount of 600 liters of fuel was allocated as an annual benefit for each family for heating, according to the availability of the quantities in the refineries, pointing out that the distribution process began on Monday in Kobani and Tal Abyad, noting that they were delayed in the distribution process due to the slowdown of communes and councils in preparing family books for the distribution of fuel cards. 

The heating fuel cards, which include four vouchers with categories of 100 and 200 liters, are distributed for a total of 600 liters. Each card is sold for SYP 300 (55 cents) per family. While distributing cards of the domestic gas are distributed with heating fuel cards at a price of SYP 500 (79 cents), and includes 12 vouchers, which is enough for one year at the rate of one voucher per month. 

106 thousand beneficiary families

Bouzi added that the statistics they have from last year indicate that there are about 106,000 families in the Euphrates Region, 58,000 of which in the district of Kobani and 48,000 families in the district of Tal Abyad, where their total entitlement of fuel is about 68 million liters.

Bouzi pointed out that the Directorate will distribute fuel for about thousand families in the Euphrates Region on a daily basis, an average of 200 liter in each district, pointing out the possibility of the delay of the arrival of the first batch of heating fuel for some people to the 10th of December, in the event of the arrival of the specified quantities at the current pace, noting that the Directorate has asked the General Administration of SADCOP to send more quantities in order to provide all citizens with the material before winter time. 

It is noteworthy that the city of Kobani had witnessed during the middle of last year’s winter a crisis in providing heating fuel, along with critical low temperatures and lack of the arrival of sufficient quantities of the fuel for all of the citizens.