Protests increase as the number of Cubans without running water climbs to nearly two million

Cubans line up for water delivered by a truck

From our Bureau of Restless Noble Savages with some assistance from our Bureau of Socialist Hydraulics

This story adds some texture to our earlier post on Cuba’s water crisis, for it proves how this story has become so big that it can’t be ignored, even by leftist news media. You know that if Spain’s leftist newspaper El País runs a story about serious problems in its beloved utopia of Castrogonia, those problems must be immense.

According to sources quoted by El País, it is estimated that the number of Cuban homes without running water is around 700,000, which– given the island’s severe housing crisis– adds up to nearly two million Cubans. That’s about 20 percent of Cuba’s current population. And these estimated figures could actually be even higher, given Castro, Inc.’s refusal to reveal statistics. Vamos bien, si! Requete bien.

From Iberian Granma (El País)

The official listed as causes the breakdowns of pumping equipment and the constant power outages that Cubans have been dealing with for some time, and which have forced them to stage public protests on more than one occasion. Another problem is the so-called leaks. Hernández himself said that, at the end of 2023, there were about 2,000 of these water leaks in Havana that remained unrepaired “for days and months.”

The problem, however, appears to be greater than what the authorities are willing to admit. A study by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) states that in reality there are many more people living without access to drinking water in the country. “We question the figure provided by the government. Our study on social rights in 2023 showed that 17% of those surveyed did not have drinking water services.

This is approximately 663,000 homes, so we could be talking about 1.9 million people, considering three people per household,” says Yaxys Cires, director of strategies for the organization. “But we are also concerned about another significant number of households, the 27% that only receive water less than four days a week, and the 40% that receive it between four and six days. The majority of the population does not have water in a stable and permanent manner.”

In western Cuba, in the province of Pinar del Río, Lismary Mariño says she has been without water for more than a month. She has 55-liter buckets for cooking. When they are empty, she refills them in other areas near her town. She also has two small tanks on the roof of her house that guarantee her water for 15 days, and which are almost empty by now. “The truth is that this is a desperate situation,” says Mariño. “I have a small child, my neighbors also have children and elderly people in their care. There are so many things that afflict us.”

The problem, which officials have described as “a very complex situation,” does not seem to have a clear solution, or at least not a short-term one. This was made clear by Antonio Rodríguez Rodríguez, the president of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH), on the day that President Miguel Díaz-Canel asked him when the water shortage would be resolved. “Telling you a date when we will be able to solve the problems would not be fair on my part,” said Rodríguez, being as honest as he could. “We hope that, being realistic and based on our current pace, we can have a better situation next year, although that does not mean that we are going to solve all the problems with leaks, obstructions, water supply and others.”

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