Tehran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Israel began fighting Iran in late February. Its influence has been seen all over the world.
Oil prices have increased, the stock market is shaky. Everyone is looking at when Iran will allow the opening of the waterway through which 20 percent of the world’s crude oil is transported.
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Right now, only a handful of ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz every day. Meanwhile, attacks on the region’s energy infrastructure are driving up fuel prices and the impact is perhaps most felt in Asia. Because 90 percent of the crude oil and gas of these Asian countries are transported through the Strait of Hormuz. Its effect is already evident.
Governments in various countries have allowed workers to work from home or work from home to conserve energy, reduced workweeks, declared national holidays or ordered the immediate closure of universities.
Even China, which was believed to have stockpiled fuel equivalent to three months’ worth of imports, is trying to deal with the situation. Chinese citizens are also struggling to increase fuel prices by 20 percent.
Although the war is thousands of miles away, the real impact of it on the daily lives of Asian citizens is evident, they told the BBC.
India
The impact of the conflict in the Middle East that started on February 28 has been profound in India.
One crore people of the Indian community living in the Gulf region are directly dealing with the consequences of the war. But its influence is also evident in their own country. Oil and gas shortages have left an impression on both indoor and commercial sectors.
The ceramic industry in India’s western state of Gujarat has suffered a setback. Factories have been closed for most of Emmaus. But the reason for this is not oil, but gas shortage.
The war in Iran has affected nearly 400,000 people associated with the industry.
“If I am here without work, I have to go without food”, Sachin Parashar, a migrant worker by profession, told a local press
And those who stayed in Gujarat in this situation have to face uncertainty.
Bhumi Kumar, another migrant worker working in a tiles factory, said, “The owner has offered me food and shelter. But I don’t know what will happen if the work is stopped indefinitely
India has been severely affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. About 60 percent of the country’s required liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is imported and about 90 percent of it comes through the Strait of Hormuz.
But it has not only affected the factories.
One-fifth of all hotels and restaurants in Mumbai were completely or partially closed in the first week of March. Foods that take longer to cook are missing from the menu.
Although the government has tried to reduce the risk of shortage of cooking gas, people have stood in long queues to get gas cylinders. This same picture has been caught across the country.
“Restaurant conditions are dire”, Manpreet Singh of the National Restaurant Association of India, which represents nearly five lakh restaurants, told the BBC
Philippines
The Philippines declared a national state of emergency on Tuesday of this week, keeping in mind the atmosphere of the conflict and the “imminent danger to the country’s energy supply and stability as a result”. The impact of a war that lasted more than 7,000 kilometers from the Philippines has already been strongly felt there.
In this situation, the jeepney drivers of that country have suffered the most. A vehicle modeled after a military jeep used for public transport in the Philippines is called a jeepney.
Carlos Bragal Jr. is a jeepney driver by profession. He said that earlier his daily wage was 1000 to 1200 pesos ($16.60 to $19.90). But now his wages have come down to 200 to 500 pesos per day in a 12-hour shift.
Jeepney drivers like him were already with problems like excise tax and suspension of fare hike. Several of his colleagues are now earning nothing due to rising fuel prices.
Mm. Carlos was saying, “Based on this job, I sent my daughters to school”. One of them has just graduated and the other is graduating”
“We had a beautiful life. But we don’t know what will happen in the next few weeks. If this continues, it will end us and our families”
But not only jeepney drivers are suffering from the fear. Fishermen and farmers are also facing rising fuel prices. Several farmers in Bulacan have already been forced to stop planting.
The government has accepted the issue and taken steps like cash assistance. But neither Carlos nor others are satisfied with that.
Mm. Carlos said, “The government’s subsidy on energy is not enough”. It can be used to drive for two days. But what will happen after two days? The situation is worse now than it was during the pandemic”
