South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The Executive Director for Resilience Organization Kevin Abalo has urged both the State and national government to regulate petrol stations in juba and across the country.
This follows the accident caused by a fuel tanker on Thursday in Gumbo which created panic and anxiety in the public.
“I would like the national, State and County governments to make sure petrol stations are not just erected anywhere,” said Abalo on Friday in an interview with the Dawn.
The Thursday explosion happened at Maxfair petrol station in Gumbo-Shirikat.
Abalo revealed that the emergence of petrol stations in markets and residential areas poses enormous risk to the public.
She noted that the skyrocketing fuel prices have led to establishment of petrol stations, adding that government needs to speed up efforts toward ensuring that petrol stations are erected while considering public safety.
Abalo said the government needs to designate specific areas for the construction of petrol stations.
She noted that Maxfair Petrol station where the explosion happened is situated in a residential area in Gumbo.
In December 2023, Emmanuel Adil Antony, the former Governor of Central Equatoria State formed a seven-member adhoc committee to probe mushrooming petrol stations along roadsides and residential areas in Juba.
In March 2024, Moses Mawa, the Minister of roads and bridges in Central Equatoria State closed down 15 petrol stations considered to be endangering public safety across Juba.
