The ongoing crisis in Santiago de Cuba has left residents struggling without water, electricity, and food for over a week, highlighting the severe instability in basic services. TikTok user Jesús de Cuba (@jesusdecuba) shared a post revealing that after seven days without water, he resorted to using a cart to fill bottles from a neighbor's cistern for personal use.
Comments on his post indicated that peripheral areas of the city are facing an even more dire situation, enduring longer periods without water supply. This water shortage exacerbates the numerous daily challenges Cubans face, including power outages, food scarcity, and increasing unsanitary conditions.
Impact on Daily Life
The combination of these deficiencies is severely impacting the quality of life for Cubans, who are striving to survive in an increasingly untenable environment. As of September 2024, water shortages in Cuba have reached critical levels, affecting over 600,000 people. Service interruptions are being reported across various provinces, often linked to power outages.
In Havana, the situation became particularly critical due to power cuts that halted the pumping system, leading to a major pipeline break in the South Basin. Residents responded with protests, such as the street blockades in San Miguel del Padrón on September 5th, where locals protested over two weeks without water. Similar issues plagued Caibarién in Villa Clara, which endured more than 25 days without this essential service.
Public Outcry and Government Response
The state-owned company Aguas de La Habana has been criticized for its inefficiency, allowing large leaks to persist in the streets while many families remain without water. On September 23rd, a retiree from El Vedado described the hardships elderly people face in obtaining water.
In Santiago de Cuba, despite promised investments by the authorities, the crisis shows no signs of improvement. Prolonged supply disruptions have exacerbated conditions in neighborhoods that have gone months without stable water services.