One of the two pipes that connects the reservoirs of the northwest system to the Quintero water treatment plant in Santiago de Cuba broke last Tuesday, leaving 80 percent of the city without water supply.
Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, secretary of the PCC in the province of Santiago de Cuba, announced on Facebook that the 1,000 mm pipeline supplying water from the Gilbert, Charco Mono, and Gota Blanca reservoirs to the city has experienced a malfunction.
He pointed out that the break affected the distribution of the precious liquid to the Quintero system, which serves 80% of the city's population.
Moreover, he pointed out that the failure was located at a joint in the section situated in Melgarejo (El Cobre), and that the welding work was completed this Thursday. He highlighted this as an achievement, noting that it was done "under difficult conditions, amidst rain."
The leader indicated that early Thursday morning, tests began to confirm that the break had been repaired, and to "resume the operation of the system that will ensure water supply to the Quintero treatment plants and its distribution to the population," she noted.
Similarly, the "Aguas Santiago" Aqueduct and Sewerage Company announced that once service is restored, priority will be given to hospitals and other state facilities.
A note published by the official Tele Turquino warns that tanker trucks will be used, indicating that these locations "must take all measures to ensure the continuation of their services."
According to the published information, there are currently hydrometric sectors in the city of Santiago de Cuba that have gone more than 10 days without water, and this will be compounded by the time it takes to repair and restart the system.
In May, over 100,000 people were left without a water supply for more than 48 hours in the city of Ciego de Ávila due to a break in one of the pipes transporting the precious liquid.
The breakdown occurred in the 800-millimeter (mm) diameter pipe located at the outlet of the pumping station of the Apoyado Tank, which supplies the Southern Zone of the city, according to a report from the state-run newspaper Invasor.
However, the biggest issue with water supply in Cuba is related to power outages.
Currently, due to power outages, at least 700,000 people do not receive water daily, as the water sector is the second largest consumer of electricity after the residential demand, according to official sources.
Although the number of people lacking daily access to a water supply due to power outages is alarming, only half of the Cuban population receives this precious resource consistently, while the rest do not for various reasons, such as drought, lack of distribution networks, breakdowns, corruption, among others.
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