On 13 March 2026, residents queued at the kerosene depot in Oesao market, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Retail supplies had become scarce, so households needing fuel for everyday cooking had to travel to the depot when a delivery was available. One resident, Mama Lodia, said kerosene was extremely difficult to find at retailers and that she had walked a considerable distance to the Oesao market outlet.
The shortage came just before Lebaran, when household demand was rising. Limited stock meant that residents who missed one distribution had to return for the next. Before questions of price, the queue raised the immediate question of whether a family could put its daily food over a flame.
National energy totals do not show that the distance to one container of kerosene differs from household to household. In Oesao, scarcity moved beyond the shop counter and became walking distance and repeated visits.