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Residents of the highly tourist active town of Monteverde in Costa Rica’s Central Pacific highlands have made public their concern and discomfort regarding the closing down of its only gas station.
The Hidrocarburate Division of the Ministry of Environment of Energy recently ordered the closing of 20 gas stations within the country due to having completed their life cycle. The Monteverde Gas Station was within these 20 centers and was shut down over 3 months ago.
Monteverde residents have to travel for 34 kilometers over roads in bad conditions to reach the closest gas station at Sardinal in Puntarenas. The residents of Monteverde have also taken extreme measures to confront this measure by transporting and storing large amounts of gasoline within plastic recipients in their homes.
Many of the people at Monteverde are selling gasoline out from their homes for twice the price of its original value. Although this practice has helped many vehicle owners out of a predicament when left with an empty gas tank, it also endangers the town as the storage of highly flammable liquid in homes can be a time bomb.
Community leaders have expressed their concern to the authorities as the lack of a gas station in the region jeopardizes the town’s development, tourism industry and commerce.
