The Saratoga neighborhood in the city of Camagüey experienced a collapse of its sewage system this Saturday afternoon, following a heavy downpour that left residents "with water up to their knees."
A passerby documented the situation, noting that the flooding worsened due to a lack of maintenance on the drains and the poor condition of the streets, in an area already suffering from frequent blackouts lasting up to 18 hours a day, according to a report by the news portal La Hora de Cuba on its Facebook page.
Saratoga, one of the most rundown neighborhoods and known for its history of intense protests on July 11, 2021, reflects the crisis facing Camagüey due to energy inefficiency and the neglect of basic infrastructure, noted the cited source.
On social media, La Hora de Cuba shared images that showcase the extent of the flooding and the challenges faced by the residents of the community, which was completely submerged in brownish waters.
The poor condition of the sewage systems in Cuban cities, which are rarely cleaned more than once a year before the start of the hurricane season, sometimes collapses during heavy rains.
An example of this occurred last August in Jobabo, Las Tunas, when heavy rainfall caused flooding that impacted homes and state institutions.
A social media post by Yaidel Miguel Rodríguez Castro, a journalist at the state-run Radio Cabaniguán in Jobabo, shared images of the flooding in the municipality of nearly 50,000 inhabitants.
The scene repeated itself a month earlier, in July, when some areas of Santiago de Cuba were submerged due to heavy flooding from a strong downpour.
This issue was particularly severe in several areas of the main city that have historically faced problems with the drainage system, such as the region near the intersection of Calle 3 and Trocha, as demonstrated in images shared on social media.
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