Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel has acknowledged that the water scarcity in Havana has deteriorated following Hurricane Rafael's impact on the city. During an assessment of the damage caused by the storm, it was revealed that several water supply sources suffered damage and are being slowly repaired.
According to a report by Juventud Rebelde, Antonio Rodríguez Rodríguez, head of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, stated that approximately 250,000 residents in Havana are currently without water service. "In this regard, we're still in a worse situation than before the hurricane," Díaz-Canel admitted briefly.
The Impact of Hurricane Rafael
Hurricane Rafael not only left much of the province without power for days but also exacerbated the water supply crisis. Last week, residents of Luyanó in the Diez de Octubre municipality voiced their frustration on social media about the ongoing water shortage.
"What they're doing to us is unacceptable. More than a week without water; when it comes, it's barely a trickle and disappears quickly. How long will this continue?" a user complained in a Facebook group dedicated to Luyanó residents.
Numerous posts reflected the community's desperation: "Eight days without water in Luyanó, please"; "Luyanó without water, we need it"; "How long will the water issue last? If anyone finds a spring, please let us know."
Official Response vs. Public Reality
The public's complaints starkly contrasted with statements from the local Popular Power Assembly, which claimed that alternative methods were being used to supply water to Luyanó. They attributed the issues to "pressure problems in pumping and distribution cycles."
The water shortage in Cuba has been a persistent issue for years, with the regime failing to find a solution. The outdated nature of pipelines and pumping equipment, combined with an aging infrastructure and lack of maintenance, forces residents to rely on water trucks and carry water in buckets. Frequent and lengthy power outages further disrupt water pumping and extend distribution cycles.
Struggles Across the Island
At the end of September, a resident from Santiago reported that after seven days without water service, he had to use a cart to reach a neighbor's house with a cistern to fill some bottles for personal use. A few days earlier, a Cuban shared a video on X showing residents of a town chasing after water trucks to get their supply.
The footage depicted a group of neighbors, including an elderly person with mobility issues, walking with buckets behind a water truck, which did not stop to provide them with water. "It's unbelievable that in 2024, Cubans don't have enough water even to bathe and have to chase after water trucks," the video's author lamented.