On Saturday, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Santiago de Cuba, arrived in a local neighborhood with a water truck, ostensibly to engage in dialogue with residents who had been deprived of water for days. However, she was met with more demands than gratitude from the community. Journalist Yosmany Mayeta highlighted this incident on his Facebook page, reporting that it occurred in the Ecuatorianos Buildings located in the Abel Santamaría neighborhood, commonly known as "El Sala'o."
"The communist official came with a water truck amidst the community's severe shortage, using it as a pretext to discuss future improvements. Yet the residents did not hold back in expressing their truths," reported Mayeta. He emphasized that a single water truck would not resolve the long-standing issues faced by this community.
Water Crisis Extends Beyond One Community
In addition to this incident, Mayeta shared another video illustrating that the water supply crisis affects multiple neighborhoods. "This video shows residents of Nuevo Van Van, in the Altamira area, queuing up with jugs and buckets to collect a meager trickle from a neighbor's house," he stated, noting that this community has been without water service for over a month.
Most homes in this area are in buildings as tall as five stories, making it difficult for residents to receive an adequate supply due to low water pressure. Despite these challenges, regime leaders continue to promote on social media the supposed "solutions" they provide to residents, although these measures fall short of addressing Santiago de Cuba's severe water crisis.
Official Responses and Infrastructure Failures
Yaneydis Hechavarría, the president of the Municipal Assembly of People's Power in Santiago de Cuba, showcased the dispatch of water trucks on Facebook as a government achievement. This temporary and inadequate response highlights the lack of effective solutions to the ongoing water supply crisis affecting local communities. "This Sunday, we continue to assist communities impacted by the water supply issue," she declared.
Recently, the Quintero System, which supplies over 80% of Santiago de Cuba's water, suffered a significant deficit in water input. Aguas Santiago, the city's water and sewer company, announced on Facebook that the problem is due to two major leaks in a primary 1,000 mm external pipeline that transports water from reservoirs to the treatment plant.
Despite local authorities boasting about investments aimed at improving services, the government has acknowledged that the water supply crisis continues to severely impact Santiago de Cuba's population. Top officials from the region appeared on the television program "Santiago Hoy" on Tele Turquino, where they claimed that the province ranks second nationally in sector investments, as reported by the official newspaper Sierra Maestra. However, residents face prolonged distribution cycles, system failures, and a lack of adequate infrastructure, which have worsened the situation in recent months.