The global fuel shortage has become an operational constraint for international water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas. While the crisis is felt across all our operations, it manifests differently in each country – from total supply shortages in Ethiopia to price-driven logistical hurdles in Tanzania and the Central African Republic.
Organizations like ours, working across multiple program areas and serving hundreds of thousands of people, are now in positions to reduce or suspend particular activities due to limited fuel availability or unsustainable costs. Fuel is an essential resource for WASH implementation; without it even well-funded and staffed programs cannot reach communities.
Regional Operational Impacts
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, the challenge is primarily one of supply:
- Field Mobility and Supervision:
- Field travel to program areas has been significantly reduced or nearly stopped.
- Routine monitoring visits, supervision, and community follow-ups are delayed.
This affects accountability, data collection, and program quality assurance.
- Drilling Operations Stoppage:
- Drilling teams have fully stopped drilling activities due to fuel shortages. Each drilling machine requires approximately 600 liters of fuel per week.
- Fuel supply cannot meet operational demand, making drilling unsustainable.
As a result, new water point development is delayed across multiple sites.
- Daily transportation challenges:
- Shortage of public buses and taxis to office in Addis HQ affected timely arrival and departure of our staff and partly affected those in Awasa. Transportation prices have increased dramatically.
Partial Continuation of Other Works: Some activities, such as pump installation and construction work, are still ongoing.
The Central African Republic
The fuel situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) has stabilized. While there are still queues at some stations, overall supply is now consistent. The CAR government has reached an agreement with Cameroon for regular fuel supply, and the retail price has been officially set at 1,250 Central African CFA franc per liter.
Tanzania
In Tanzania, we are currently implementing Shinyanga Project 2 (approximately 22,000 people), but also monitoring Shinyanga P1 with a total population of about 30,000 people. Like other countries, there is a significant impact on program operations following a rise in the price of fuel by almost 35% (from 2900 to over 4300 Tanzanian shillings per liter).
This increase in fuel price is proportionate with an increase in transport cost, construction materials cost, and other consumable items. While we are not facing a shortage of fuel supply in our areas of operations, this increase will have an eventual impact on planned targets, goals, and milestone accomplishments.
Uganda
In Uganda, the fuel supply in Kampala is stable. While costs are higher than before, costing between 5,619 to 7,492 Ugandan shillings per liter, the infrastructure remains reliable for our consultant-based model.
Cambodia
In Cambodia, local stations have implemented a daily limit of 25 liters per vehicle. This system can effect operational efficiency in regards to the use of heavy machinery and long-distance field travel. Additionally, like many others, we are experiencing rising costs, with prices for gasoline reaching 6,015 Cambodian riel per liter for gasoline and 8,020 per liter for diesel.
The Path Forward
The fuel shortage is not only a logistical challenge but a major operational barrier to WASH service delivery across the regions we serve. Whether it is a physical shortage or price inflation, the result is the same: delays in achieving impact.
However, our commitment to these communities remains steadfast. Our teams continue to navigate these conditions with resilience, remaining vigilant and hopeful that stabilized fuel access will soon allow us to resume full operations and restore the essential services that so many rely on.
