kerosene lamps and other old items are seen in an antiques shop in Lebanon, July 15, 2020. (Xinhua Photo)

A Lebanese house appliance dealer increases stock of old lighting and cooking tools that work by using kerosene, given the increase in demand on such equipment amid successive power cuts in the country.

BEIRUT, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Salem Amasha, a house appliances dealer, is keen to display kerosene lamps at his storefront in the main market in his hometown Hasbaya, southern Lebanon.

Amasha filled his store recently with a big number of old lighting and cooking tools that work by using kerosene, given the increase in demand on such equipment amid successive power cuts in the country.

Amasha told Xinhua that these tools were forgotten for more than half a century, but they now rank top on his sales list.

Lebanon has seen an increase in power cuts from three hours to over 14 hours a day during the past three weeks due to a shortage in fuel used to operate the country's power plants and the lack of diesel to operate private generators.

"The demand for kerosene lamps and kerosene cooking stoves increased remarkably, which led to a steep rise in their prices," Amasha said.

The price of one single kerosene lamp reached around 100,000 Lebanese pounds, equivalent to around 15 U.S. dollars according to the price of the U.S. dollar in the black market, while the price of a kerosene cooking stove stands at 350,000 L.L, according to Amasha.

Jalal Abdullah, owner of an old household appliance store in the town of Khiam, southern Lebanon, confirmed that there is a great demand for kerosene lamps and cooking stoves.

Abdullah attributed this high demand to citizens' fear from reaching a moment when they have to live in the dark considering the high fuel prices, the lack of fuel used in power production plants, and the shortage in diesel needed for operating private generators, noting that the country has been going through increasing hours of power rationing.

kerosene lamps and other old items are seen in an antiques shop in Lebanon, July 15, 2020. (Xinhua Photo)

Kerosene lamps are the types of lighting devices that use kerosene as a fuel. They have a wick as light source, protected by a glass chimney and can be used in the absence of electricity.

Wafa Abu Ali, a housewife in her 30's, spent several days searching for a kerosene lamp which, according to her, has become an urgent element in houses today amid increase in power rationing.

"I do not know how to use this lamp, and I've never thought I'd need to use one or a kerosene stove for cooking as an alternative to the regular stoves that operate with electricity and regular gas tanks," Abu Ali told Xinhua.

Emile Hamdan, one of the owners of a petrol station in Wadi al-Hasbani told Xinhua that citizens rushed to buy kerosene so that his reservoir that has a storage capacity of 4,000 liters was emptied in less than two weeks.

"It seems that citizens have started storing kerosene," he added, noting that this situation led to creating a black market for diesel which is currently sold at 100,000 Lebanese pounds compared to its official price of 10,000 L.L.

Ahmed Alameddine, a 70 year old man, remembers the day when the kerosene lamp was one of the pillars of home lighting at a time when electricity as still non-existent.

"It seems we will be going back to our old times given the outbreak of COVID-19 and the deteriorating economic conditions," he told Xinhua.

Lebanon has been experiencing an unprecedented economic and financial crisis due to the shortage in U.S. dollar currency.

The shortage in the U.S. dollar led to the increase in the price of the foreign currency which has weakened the Lebanese pound and led to an unprecedented increase in inflation rate, the lay-off of employees and unofficial capital control on banks' deposits.

Power rationing for long hours in different areas of the country exacerbated the problem.

On July 1, Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar attributed the lack in fuel to the problem that supply companies' shipments do not meet the specifications, according to the National News Agency.

Power rationing by Lebanon's state power utility Electricite Du Liban took place in parallel to rationing by owners of private generators given the scarcity of diesel in the Lebanese market and the smuggling of diesel to Syria due to the high price in the war-torn neighboring country, according to a source representing owners of generators in Lebanon.

Moreover, owners of generators have been storing diesel in anticipation of an increase in the price of the commodity, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. ■