At an average 83 percent of capacity, Cubas reservoirs have not been so full in mid-September since 1993, good news for both agriculture and the general population.

Specialists from the National Hydraulic Resources Institute said the rainfall in the January-August period, 1,003 millimeters, represents 114 percent of the historical average.

By region, the rainfall in the first eight months of 2007 was the following: 973 mm in the West (100 of the annual average); 1,080 mm (123 percent) in the Central region, and 947 mm (117 percent) in the Eastern provinces.

Ten of the countrys fourteen provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud recorded rainfall exceeding the annual average while five (Havana, Havana City, Matanzas, Granma and Santiago de Cuba) reported between 89 and 98 percent.

Cuba suffered severe drought in 2004-5, especially in the eastern region of the country, causing drinking water to be rationed in several cities and putting stiff limitations on irrigation. The renewed normal or above average rainfall in 2006-7 has been greatly welcomed.

Source: By Raisa Pagés, Granma