BEIRUT, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- In a small patch of woodland behind the house his family rents in a village in southeastern Lebanon's Hasbaya district, Hassan Abu Hmein pauses every few steps to pick up a dry log or a fallen branch.
He stacks the wood into a small pile before carrying it home, hoping it will help keep his children warm through the winter.
The father, in his 50s, was displaced from the southern Lebanese town of Dibbine. Years of conflict and persistent regional tensions have taken a toll on every aspect of his family's life, leaving even the basic necessities of cooking and keeping warm increasingly out of reach. With diesel now far beyond what the family can afford, Abu Hmein has been forced to rely on whatever firewood he can gather.
"The impact of rising fuel prices does not stop at gas stations," said Nadine Nasrallah, a mother of three in the southern town of Ghaziyeh, who is struggling to cover the cost of transporting her children to school after bus fares rose sharply. "It extends to transportation, work, education, heating, the movement of goods and services, and food prices."
According to the latest official fuel price list issued on Sept. 18, a 20-liter can of 95-octane gasoline cost 2.81 million Lebanese pounds (about 30 U.S. dollars), while the same quantity of diesel was priced at 2.768 million pounds. A 10-kg gas cylinder cost 1.221 million pounds.
Adham Fahs, who works at a grocery store in Zahrani in the Nabatieh area, said employees who drive to work bear the brunt of higher fuel prices directly, while those who rely on taxis or public transportation feel the impact through rising fares.
Some, he said, have started carpooling with colleagues, cutting back on unnecessary trips, or working from home whenever possible -- small adjustments, but no escaping a cost that keeps rising.
The ripple effects of higher prices are felt most acutely in the price of bread. On Thursday, Lebanon's Ministry of Economy and Trade raised the price of a medium-sized bundle of Lebanese white bread from 75,000 to 80,000 Lebanese pounds. The hike mirrors the rise in diesel costs, which make up about 22 percent of production expenses, said Antoine Haddad, a shop owner.
The livestock and poultry sectors are under similar pressure. On Friday, six industry unions called for the cancellation of a newly introduced environmental fee on materials used in animal and poultry production, warning that the added cost, on top of already-rising fuel and operating expenses, could drive up the prices of essential food products and place further strain on food security.
The increases are the same for everyone, but the ability to absorb them is not. Amer Lakis, a shop owner who employs 12 workers, said rising fuel prices are being felt across Lebanese society, but displaced people and low-income households have far less of a financial cushion. "They have many basic needs but limited resources," he said.
That is precisely the predicament facing Abu Hmein. Displaced by conflict, he has already lost almost everything. Now, soaring fuel prices have only added to his burden.
"I'm barely getting by," he said. "I don't know how we'll make it through the winter." ■
