Water is a luxury in communist Cuba

Yet another glorious achievement of the Castro dictatorship’s socialist revolution.

Via CubaNet (my translation):

When water becomes a luxury

The poor quality of the hydraulic network, added to the obsolescence of the conductors, considerably influences the critical situation experienced by the majority of the inhabitants of Santa Clara

Over the past eight days, Adelaida, a resident of Reparto Camacho, is supposed to provide snacks and lunch for three workers digging a well in her backyard, which according to her, was her main worry about the job. In this part of the city where the landscape is steep and difficult to drill, it takes close to 15 days for water from the aqueduct to reach homes. On top of that, in the last few weeks, the water has been unusable due to it being so dirty.

Providing a summary of her investment, the homemade well cost Adelaida close to 15,000 pesos, taking into consideration costs such as the pump, the pipes, feeding the workers, and the 20 yards of depth required to reach water. “The most difficult part was all the issues came up little by little. When they drilled the well, they couldn’t find the tank and when they found it, there were no hoses. Everything has to be bought on the black market here. The latest was that the pump I had found did not have enough power to pump up the water.”

Over the past few weeks there has been a shortage of water in Santa Clara during the first four months of the year when drought conditions are most prevalent. For example in 2020, the main water lines were running at 47.3% capacity. This is similar to what took place in 2005 when the worst drought in 40 years hit the province.

According to local media, the Hanabanilla dam, which runs a hydroelectric station and provides water for the population in Cienfuegos and Santa Clara, is at less than 60% capacity. And several Manicaragua municipality communities where the dam is located haven’t received water in more than 50 days.

Continue reading (in Spanish) HERE.