Despite Spain being advanced in some aspects it is bizarre that many properties are still reliant on bottled gas to cook and heat their homes with. In the UK bottled gas is probably only used for BBQ´s in the Summer months, yet it is common to see people here pulling a trolley with a gas canister attached. It is understandable for those perhaps living on one of the many campsites, but strange to see people going up to their modern apartments carrying a gas bottle as there is no piped gas.
With prices of utilities much higher here in Spain – both electricity and gas have the full 21% IVA applied it is refreshing to hear that as of next Tuesday, 17th March, the Ministry of Industry have announced that the price of gas cylinders – both butane and propane, will come down by 9.7%. This will bring down the price from 17.50 euros to 15.80 euros and the price is expected to fall again in May/June.
It is worth remembering though that if you are driving to a shop or petrol station to purchase bottled gas, by law you can only carry a maximum of 2 bottles, which must be secured in an upright position and not be laying down. It is also worth noting that it is illegal to park in an underground car park with a full gas bottle in your car, so if you are going shopping at the same time, do that first!
But gas is not the only thing going down. Water levels are so low in the reservoirs that the water consortium of the Marina Baixa are taking steps to avoid a water shortage. They have requested the transfer of 5 cubic hectometers from the Taibilla reservoir, served by the river Segura, which has more than enough. This has been the driest periods recorded for the last 150 years. Guadalest, which has a capacity of 13 cubic hectares is down to 4.39 – less than 35% of normal levels. The cost is estimated at 2.7 million euros and Benidorm has already allocated a 1 million euro additional contribution. With the resort heavily reliant on tourism they cannot afford to have hotels running out, especially going into the busy Easter and Summer holiday period.
