Explosion on a street in Centro Habana exposes the critical accumulation of trash in Cuba.

The severe waste accumulation crisis in Havana results in a surprising explosion caused by a garbage collection truck that cut hidden electrical cables beneath the rubble and waste.

Basura en Centro Habana (imagen de referencia) © Facebook Patria Orgullosa
Trash in Centro Habana (reference image)Photo © Facebook Proud Homeland

A chain explosion shook a street in Centro Habana this Thursday, after a garbage truck accidentally cut some electrical cables while performing its work.

Cubanet reported the incident that took place on San Miguel Street, between Rayos and Galiano, when the garbage truck, while removing the waste accumulated on the public road, damaged the wires that were hidden under piles of garbage.

These cables belonged to a branch of the Banco Metropolitano, which caused a short circuit that spread to the ATMs on the Bulevar de San Rafael. As a result, the entire area, including the bank, was left without electricity.

Havana is facing an alarming situation due to the massive accumulation of garbage, which has been exacerbated by the lack of fuel, personnel, and collection equipment.

In the city, only 68% of the generated waste is collected, while the rest remains on the streets, creating infection hotspots and increasing the risk of fires due to the release of methane gas.

Of this waste, only about 40% is recovered for recycling, leaving a large volume of garbage in public spaces, worsening the epidemiological situation that is already serious on the island, due to the proliferation of rats, cockroaches, and mosquitoes.

Due to the government's inability to manage this crisis, the authorities in Havana have chosen to hire a private company to improve garbage collection in some critical areas of the capital.

However, residents of neighborhoods like Luyanó, where the situation is especially grave, continue to await concrete solutions, while garbage accumulates in the streets and desperation grows among the neighbors who live surrounded by waste, bad odors, and unsanitary conditions.

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