Local residents in Sittwe have expressed concerns about the fire risk posed by roadside petrol pumps.

Roadside petrol pumps have proliferated across the Arakan State capital following frequent fuel shortages over recent months at official filling stations.

“There are roadside petrol pumps in every ward. So, if a fire breaks out in a ward, the entire town will be razed. So, they should be banned in every ward,” said Sittwe resident U Maung Thar Sein.

Serious fuel shortages and price hikes were reported in many parts of the country including Arakan State in August, forcing fuel stations to limit their operations and sell by quota, giving rise to the increasingly prevalent roadside petrol pumps.

“There are long queues at filling stations, and we have to wait for a long time, sometimes the whole morning. So, we don’t have time to do our business. The prices are usually higher at roadside pumps, but we don’t need to queue, and we can fill immediately,” said motorbike taxi driver Ko Aung Hsan Win.

A Sittwe resident who asked for anonymity called on authorities to enforce regulations on roadside petrol pumps.

“It is the dry season, and we are concerned about fire risk. Much needs to be done regarding the fire safety of those petrol pumps. It is partly because authorities are not properly regulating them,” he said.

“We have plans to conduct education campaigns to legalise them, but for now, we are too busy to do that,” said an official of Arakan State’s petroleum and petroleum products supervisory committee.

“We can’t take action against roadside petrol pumps under the existing laws,” said the chief of the Sittwe Township Fire Services Department, U Kyaw Lin. “We can require them to keep fire safety equipment. If they don’t follow, we can take action under the Fire Services Law. But it is a minor offence.”