Residents of Jeddah are getting increasingly concerned about the recent reports of a shortage of gas cylinders in the city.

The message which was circulated on social media stated that a number of gas cylinder stations were closed for the past three days due to a shortage of gas cylinders.

M. Azmat Ali told Arab News that no gas cylinders have been available for the past three days. “The three gas cylinder stations in Al-Ajwaad are closed and the one in Azizia is closed too,” he said, adding that one of the workers at the station told him that there was a shortage of cylinders in the gas company which had prompted the stations to remain closed. Azmat Ali urged people to stock up on gas cylinders saying that he had checked at least five places to try to buy gas.

Another resident of Azizia, Hafizur Rahman, said that he also went to the Azizia gas cylinder station on Sunday and found it closed. So he went to Al-Faisaliah district and was lucky to get a gas cylinder.

Arab News checked with one of the gas cylinder stations and found that the crisis in fact is due to the shortage of laborers at the stations which is affecting the company’s supplies.

One of the workers at the gas cylinder station told Arab News that many workers had left due to the new labor and residency laws which had affected work not only at gas stations but also in other places.

“The well-paid jobs are willingly taken up by Saudi nationals but there are few who want to work in the menial jobs making it necessary for companies to hire expatriates. But due to the new labor laws, expatriates can only work with their sponsors which is creating a labor shortage in companies,” said Zakaria Islam.

He said the problem of is compounded by the nonavailability of drivers and laborers to do the heavy work of loading and off-loading the cylinders and taking them to their destinations.