'Is That Fuel Or Water?' This Video From Mumbai's Petrol Pump Has Everyone Talking

A fuel-tampering video from Mumbai’s Kurla Depot has recently gone viral. A heated argument between a client and a gas pump employee can be seen in the said video, during which the employee acknowledges that there is water mixed in petrol. The consumer can be seen holding a bottle that was meant to contain fuel but instead contains more than half water. The man can be heard stating that this is a sample of petrol that was poured into his vehicle’s tank.

The video shows a clear distinction between two liquids. Notably, as petrol is less dense than water, it will separate and create a distinct layer on top when combined with water.

The video was shared on microblogging platform X and has since garnered more than 4 lakh views.

In the comments section, a user claimed, “Two days ago, I went to the same petrol pump. They are selling Ocean water instead of Fuel.”

Another user commented, “Petrol ka scam toh bahot chalta hai, kabhi meter mai gadbadi kabhi petrol mai (Petrol scams are quite common, sometimes it’s a faulty meter, sometimes it’s adulterated petrol).”

Sharing a picture of yet another bottle of petrol mixed with water, a user mentioned, “Bhai same petrol pump, incident of Sept 10,2023. They refused, saying it’s the rainy season so there was already rain water collected in your fuel tank.. Had to pay 3500₹ to get my scooter repaired due to water in the fuel tank.”

Meanwhile, some users suggested it must be because of the rainy season.

“I also have a petrol pump, ye paani baarish ke time m underground tank me aa jata hai zameen se hi (I also have a petrol pump. During the rainy season, water seeps into the underground tank from the ground itself),” read a comment.

Another user said, “Water seeps the underground tank via pipe joints. It surely must be unintentional, they should regularly check the tanks with water paste and extract water if any.”

It should be noted that the higher percentage of ethanol (from 5 to 10%) in fuel pulls water due to its hygroscopic nature, which frequently causes automobiles to stall and generate jerks while they are moving.

Fuel pump owners have repeatedly advised customers to make sure that water does not enter their fuel tanks since this would react with ethanol and form layers of contamination in the petrol, which may cause damage to engines.