Erbil considers opening women-only petrol station

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil is considering the idea of opening a petrol station for women only, Erbil governor said on Friday as the Kurdistan Region faces a major shortage of petrol with cars lining up in front of stations for long hours.

Fuel prices are at an unprecedented high in the Kurdistan Region, as the price of one liter of normal petrol has reached 690 Iraqi dinars at government-provided fuel stations, and 1,250 Iraqi dinars at private stations.

In addition to the rising prices, drivers also complain about the long queues in gas stations that sell government-provided fuel, as well as the low quality of petrol.

“There is a petition, and we as Erbil, might become the initiators of this topic, which is opening a women-only station,” Omed Khoshnaw told Rudaw’s Farhad Dolamari, citing the increasing number of female drivers as the reasoning for their logic.

Long queues of drivers have been recorded in front of stations in Erbil, a scene which has been on repeat for days now.

Khoshnaw said Erbil is not receiving share it needs of government-provided fuel, an issue seen in the Region’s other provinces as well.

The surge in petrol prices has also led to the public outcry of drivers all over the Region, most deciding to be conservative with how they handle their fuel usage, as cars are only allowed to fill up to 25,000 Iraqi dinars per round.

Khoshnaw on Wednesday said that starting March 24, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will impose the odd-even rationing, meaning cars will be allowed to purchase gasoline on alternating days based on whether the last digit of their license plated is even or odd.

The governor stressed that the one-month-long decision “will not” lower gasoline prices nor decrease the length of queues in a substantial way, claiming that step is merely a product of exigency.

The Kurdistan Region needs approximately six million liters of petrol in a single day.

Petrol in the Region is not subsidized by the government, and as such, sells for almost double the price than federal Iraq, where the price is around 450 Iraqi dinars per liter.

By Chenar Chalak