After food, fuel & electricity, Cuba faces severe water crisis amid economic distress

Water shortages in Cuba are increasingly flaring tempers, including in the capital Havana, as problems mount for hundreds of thousands of residents already ragged from shortfalls in food, fuel and electricity. According to officials, over 600,000 people, equivalent to more than 1 in 20 of the Caribbean island’s 10 million citizens, are facing water supply issues.

Havana is the hardest hit, although most of the country’s major cities report over 30,000 customers without access to water. The water crisis in Cuba is not a recent development, but the country’s overall decline, inadequate pipeline maintenance, and fuel scarcity have exacerbated the issue.

The OPEC Fund for International Development notes that Cuba’s water and sanitation infrastructure is aging, with some sections operating for over half a century. Nationally, water losses are estimated at around 60 percent, with shortages most pronounced in densely populated urban areas.

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Rachel Trimiño, 32, said the root causes are no mystery, even in her Havana neighborhood of Vedado, a comparatively upscale district of the capital. “All of the streets are full of leaking pipes, clean running water … but nothing in our homes,” she said.

The problem defies quick fixes. Spare parts for outdated water infrastructure, like pipes and pumps, are in short supply, officials said. And without fuel and adequate transportation, even emergency water supply by cistern truck has been limited, according to residents.

Frequent blackouts only make matters worse. “When they cut off power, we can’t give water,” said San Miguel de Padron resident Pedro Martino, who works with a church group that offers residents small quantities to stem the shortfall. “One thing depends on the other, and that’s the game we play.”

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Isolated protests have erupted in some areas, as residents overwhelmed by the growing list of problems and shortages lose patience in the still blistering heat of the tropical summer. Cuba’s economy has been decimated by a combination of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, stiffened U.S. sanctions and a state-dominated business model plagued by bureaucracy, mismanagement and corruption.

The social and economic crisis is widely seen as among the worst since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution, leading to a record-breaking exodus of Cuban migrants in the past two years.

With inputs from agencies.