Shafaq News- Diyala

Fuel shortages in eastern Iraq’s Diyala province have prompted residents and drivers to create large WhatsApp networks that help motorists locate gasoline and avoid hours of waiting as queues continue to build outside filling stations.

Residents told Shafaq News that members share live updates on station conditions, allowing drivers to identify the most accessible locations without moving from one area to another in search of fuel.

“The phone has become more important than the car itself these days,” taxi driver Hassan Al-Khalidi remarked. “Finding a station with gasoline now depends more on information shared in WhatsApp groups than anything else.”

One group alone, he noted, has more than 1,600 members who continuously post updates on fuel availability and traffic conditions around filling stations.

Government employee Omar Al-Mahdawi described the networks as a “field operations room,” where participants quickly alert one another when supplies arrive.

Dozens of vehicles remained lined up outside stations in Baqubah and Al-Khalis districts, while many motorists relied on their phones to decide where to refuel. Mohammed Bassem Al-Khazraji told Shafaq News that the crisis continues in Diyala despite official statements indicating that conditions have improved in Baghdad and other provinces.

“Most privately owned stations in Diyala remain without gasoline, while government-run outlets continue to experience heavy demand.”

Civil activist Mustafa Al-Azzawi, meanwhile, argued that the popularity of the groups reflects both the depth of the shortage and residents’ efforts to adapt, while stressing that lasting solutions depend on stable supplies rather than community-driven workarounds.

According to official figures, Diyala has fewer than 20 government-run filling stations and more than 140 privately operated outlets. The province receives around 1.25 million liters of gasoline per day, though many residents contend that the allocation remains below demand.

On June 4, the Oil Ministry acknowledged a supply gap after previously denying reports of shortages, attributing the disruption to regional developments and the withdrawal of a foreign company from a key refinery project in southern Iraq. It estimated that the setback reduced high-octane gasoline supplies by four to five million liters per day.

Current output stands at about 30 million liters daily, while consumption rose to 34 million liters during Eid Al-Adha and the pilgrimage season. Demand reached a record 35 million liters on June 3, exceeding the previous peak of 32 million liters recorded before recent regional tensions linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

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