Surat: Petrol dealers in South Gujarat are urging the central government to temporarily halt the mandatory mixing of 20% ethanol in petrol during the monsoon season. They say that the region’s high humidity leads to fuel contamination and damages vehicle engines, reported The Times of India.
As per the media report, according to local dealers, even the current 15% ethanol blend is causing problems like engine trouble, petrol evaporating quickly, and water getting into the fuel. They fear that increasing the ethanol content to 20% will make these issues much worse during the heavy rains.
Dealers claim that during the monsoon, especially in coastal areas, humidity causes ethanol to absorb atmospheric moisture. This leads to the separation of ethanol from petrol, which they say is visible within seconds when a petrol tank is exposed to open air. The resulting water content not only degrades fuel quality but also damages engines—leaving dealers to deal with customer anger, complaints, and financial losses.
The Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) has stepped in to support the dealers. They have sent a formal letter to the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, explaining the situation.
As per news report in The Times of India, in its letter, the SGCCI stated, “Ethanol has hygroscopic properties, meaning it readily absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. During the monsoon, even with well-maintained and sealed underground tanks, the high humidity leads to ethanol drawing in moisture, effectively turning into water. This results in fuel contamination that severely affects engine performance and damages vehicles.” The letter further noted that petroleum dealers are unfairly blamed and even face police complaints due to circumstances beyond their control.”
