There is a huge fuel crisis in Bolivia, South America, people are standing in long queues outside petrol pumps for several days

Fuel is fast becoming one of the scarcest commodities in Bolivia, a country on the South American continent. In Bolivia, the second largest producer of natural gas in South America, long queues of vehicles are seen outside petrol pumps for several kilometers. Some vehicles are seen standing in queues for several days. Frustration is increasing among the people. The situation is such that drivers like Victor Garcia now eat, drink, and sleep around their trucks standing in queues. Garcia (66) said, “We don’t know what will happen.? Our situation is going to get worse.”

People are tired

“The lines are getting longer and longer,” said another driver, Ramiro Morales, 38. He said he needed to go to the bathroom after waiting in line for four hours on Tuesday but feared he might lose his spot if he left the line. “People are tired,” Morales said. Bolivia’s fuel shortage comes at a time when the country’s foreign exchange reserves are dwindling, making it hard for Bolivians to get US dollars. Imported goods that were once common are now scarce.

Common citizens are facing a lot of problems.

“We want effective solutions to deal with fuel, dollar shortages, and rising food prices,” said Reinerio Vargas, vice-rector of the Gabriel Rene Moreno Autonomous University in the eastern province of Santa Cruz. Citizens facing all these problems marched in the streets of the capital La Paz last week and chanted “Everything is expensive.” Meanwhile, Economy Minister Marcelo Montenegro said on Tuesday that “diesel sales are in the process of returning to normal.” Bolivian President Luis Arce has also repeatedly promised to reduce prices of basic goods to end fuel shortages.

The government did not wake up in tim.e 

However, Bolivians say Arce’s image has been tarnished not just by the current crisis but by the government’s refusal to acknowledge the crisis. On November 10, Arce again promised the countrymen that he would “solve the issue” in 10 days. Such deadlines have been passed again and again, but no solution has been found. The situation has only gotten worse. An interview request to Arce’s office has not yet been received.