2023-11-12 01:00:00
The drought and breakdowns in the hydraulic networks in several locations in Cuba affect nearly 450,000 people throughout the country, despite the investments promised by the Government to alleviate the water situation.
This has motivated protests by citizens in Havana and other provinces of the country who claim the lack of drinking water with the consequent discomfort that this causes in such a hot country.
The most recent was this Saturday when several people closed a central street in Old Havana in protest following several days without drinking water. In response, the state company Aguas de La Habana issued a note in which it apologized for the supply problems.
Another of the most notable effects occurred in the months of last summer (July and August) when there were repeated cuts in the supply of liquid and several areas of the capital remained without running water for days.
The drought
The Cuban Government points out that one of the causes of the water problem is the intense drought that is plaguing the country, due to climate change.
A report from the Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) indicated that the drought affected 27% of Cuba during last May, June and July due to a deficit in accumulated rainfall of more than 60%.
The report from the specialized organization, corresponding to the end of the summer, specifies that the most affected provinces were Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Havana, Mayabeque and Matanzas (all in the west of the country).
The Insmet added that the continued lack of rainfall predominated in that region, known as “meteorological drought”.
Nearly 59% of the country’s 168 municipalities had a drought of “moderate to extreme” in the period, in accordance with the report presented on the Insmet website.
In the last 12 months, 88% of the average historical value of rainfall has been recorded, which has caused a reduction in dammed and groundwater.
Cuban experts predict more droughts “recurrent and intense” due to the effects of climate change.
Thousands affected
Water scarcity affects 450,000 people throughout the country, of which more than 156,000 lack adequate access due to the poor state of hydraulic infrastructure and other problems, according to data from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH).
“Around 2,070,000 people receive the service every 3 days or more, and there are 478 population settlements with more than 2,000 inhabitants that do not have – totally or partially – aqueduct networks”indicated the president of the INRH, Antonio Rodriguez quoted in the official newspaper Granma.
The INRH director mentioned that last June alone, more than 260 breakdowns were reported that affected more than 380,000 people.
According to Rodríguez, “The coverage of basic water supply services through aqueducts, easy access and pipes reaches 10,956,255 inhabitants, 98.6% of the population.”
He added that aqueduct systems lose a lot of water many times “due to the poor technical state and inadequate operation of the hydraulic infrastructure.”
“Due to its impact on the quality of service, priority is given to responding to breaks in conductors and distribution networks, affected by the low availability of spare parts and accessories”held.
Among the measures taken by the Government is the execution of 206 hydraulic works, including investments and maintenance actions.
They also plan to acquire some 1,390 water pumping equipment to try to alleviate the “tense situation” of the last 5 years.
EFE
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