Nepal announces two-day weekends as fuel crisis caused by Iran war deepens

Saturday until present had been the lone time disconnected successful the Himalayan nation, which relies astir wholly connected India for its substance supplies.

Nepal has chopped the moving week from six days to 5 for authorities offices and acquisition institutions to header with the vigor situation caused by the United States-Israel war connected Iran.

In an exigency furniture gathering connected Sunday, the authorities decided to widen the play to some Saturdays and Sundays.

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“Government offices and world institutions volition stay closed for 2 days successful a week – Saturday and Sunday,” authorities spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel told reporters.

“Given the contiguous uncomfortable concern caused by substance supply, the authorities and acquisition institutions stay closed for 2 days,” helium said.

Saturday had been the lone time disconnected each week for civilian servants successful the Himalayan nation, wherever authorities offices volition present run from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Pokharel said the authorities was besides exploring ineligible measures to person petrol and diesel vehicles to electrical power, but gave nary further details.

An airplane is seen connected the tarmac adjacent aviation substance tanks astatine Tribhuvan International Airport successful Kathmandu, Nepal connected April 2, 2026 [Prakash Mathema/AFP]

Nepal, a landlocked federation of 30 cardinal people, has nary lipid wells oregon different sources of fossil fuel. It relies astir wholly connected India for its substance supplies, leaving it exposed to international terms shocks.

It astir doubled aviation substance prices connected Thursday, and the state-owned Nepal Oil Corp said it had been incurring dense losses connected different petroleum products contempt immoderate terms hikes.

Nepal began selling half-filled cooking state cylinders past period to discourage hoarding and panic buying arsenic officials urged the nationalist to chopped backmost connected substance use.

The substance situation has raised fears of a caller stroke to Nepal’s tourism-dependent economy. Steep hikes successful the terms of aviation substance person impacted travellers arsenic hose companies operating home and planetary flights person accrued airfares.

Tensions successful the Middle East person escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint violative against Iran connected February 28. Tehran has retaliated with waves of drone and rocket strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries, inflicting casualties and infrastructure harm portion disrupting planetary markets and aviation.