India Grapples with LPG Supply Chain Disruption Amid Iran Conflict
Closure of the Strait of Hormuz slows liquefied petroleum gas imports, leaving Indian families and businesses struggling amid shortages.
As tension escalates in the Middle East, India is feeling the profound impact of the ongoing disruption to the global liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply chain. The closure of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz has severely slowed the import of LPG, a critical fuel source for millions of Indian households and businesses.
For Maya Rani, a 36-year-old mother in Delhi, the reality of this disruption has become a daily struggle. For the past four days, she has arrived at a gas distributor's office, her six-month-old daughter in her lap, waiting for hours on end, only to return home empty-handed each time. The promise of a cooking gas cylinder remains elusive, with distributors informing her that it may take at least another week before she can secure one.
Around Maya, the queue of anxious consumers grows ever longer, all clutching their forms and documents in a desperate bid to secure the precious resource. The flame in her kitchen began to fade last week, and her husband, as he always does, took their 5kg cylinder to a local refiller. This time, however, there was nothing - the only option left was to apply for a government-subsidised supply, a process that has meant repeated visits, long waits, and no certainty.
