"Water and electricity! That's what we want!"
This was the rallying cry echoing through the streets of Luyanó, a neighborhood in Havana, on Thursday. Dozens of residents took to the streets in a pot-banging protest after enduring over 30 hours without electricity and sporadic access to water.
Footage shared on social media by the independent outlet CubaNet captured residents gathering on Rosa Enríquez Street and at the intersection of Concha and Atarés. They were banging on pots, demanding basic services, as officers from the National Revolutionary Police arrived to monitor the situation.
According to other reports and social media accounts, the sound of clanging pots had been heard since early morning, as frustration over prolonged blackouts spilled into public demonstrations.
Residents reported that, in addition to being without power for more than a day, they also lacked water and gas for cooking.
"Cuba is in chaos right now. People are going without electricity for over 30 hours. They also don't have gas or water," wrote activist Ariel Maceo Téllez on the SOS Cuba Facebook page.
The events in Luyanó were not an isolated incident.
On the same day, protests were also reported in other parts of Havana. Journalist José Raúl Gallego noted a pot-banging protest in Santos Suárez following 31 hours of blackout, while in Lawton, residents reported outages lasting over 48 hours.
Activist Yoel Cruz stated on social media that he had been without power and unable to properly feed himself for more than two days. He reported that following the protests, two officers remained stationed outside his home.
These demonstrations highlight the mounting public discontent caused by the deteriorating national power grid.
On Thursday, the Electric Union projected a generation shortfall of 1,920 megawatts during peak demand hours, underscoring the severity of the energy crisis. The previous day, the deficit exceeded 2,000 megawatts, and the system was affected throughout the day.
Breakdowns in several thermoelectric plants and a fuel shortage continue to hinder the country's power generation capabilities. Over a hundred distributed generation plants remain offline due to fuel shortages, exacerbating a situation impacting millions of Cubans.
The water shortage has also become a direct consequence of the blackouts.
As the majority of the pumping system relies on electricity, hundreds of thousands of Havana residents face frequent water supply interruptions. Official data indicates that more than 376,000 people in the capital lack regular access to potable water, and over 309,000 are directly affected by power outages.
The pot-banging protest in Luyanó adds to a growing wave of civic demonstrations that have swept through various Havana neighborhoods in recent months.
Since March, there have been reports of protests and pot-banging in areas such as Centro Habana, Regla, Guanabacoa, Alamar, La Lisa, Cotorro, San Miguel del Padrón, and Jesús María. Just last Sunday, Regla residents blocked a street to demand the restoration of electricity and water services.
The increase in public unrest has also been met with a repressive response from authorities.
In a city increasingly plagued by blackouts, water shortages, and deteriorating basic services, the demand heard in Luyanó captures the sentiment of thousands of Cubans: "Water and electricity!"
Understanding the Current Energy Crisis in Cuba
What sparked the protests in Luyanó?
The protests in Luyanó were triggered by residents' frustration after enduring more than 30 hours without electricity and irregular access to water.
How widespread are these energy outages in Havana?
Energy outages have been reported across various neighborhoods in Havana, affecting hundreds of thousands of residents and leading to numerous protests.
What factors are contributing to Cuba's energy crisis?
The crisis is fueled by breakdowns in thermoelectric plants, a lack of fuel, and the inability to meet the power demand, leaving many areas without electricity.