Flooded with sewage and state neglect, residents in La Fe, Isle of Youth

For over a year, residents of the Comandante Pinares neighborhood in the town of La Fe, on the Isle of Youth, have been unsuccessfully reporting flooding caused by sewage and rainwater in areas near their homes, while the relevant authorities ignore the problem, recycle excuses, and allow the neighborhood to remain mired in neglect.

Every time it rains, four multi-family buildings, a fish market, a grocery store, the neighborhood bakery, and the family doctor's office No.12 are affected, mentions a letter published in the Reader's Mail section of the official newspaper Victoria.

According to Wílmer Florián Local, a resident of building 25, located on 32nd Street between 9th and 11th, in the Comandante Pinares neighborhood of La Fe, since June 2024 they have been facing a problem that has long exceeded the limits of patience: the constant flooding of rainwater mixed with sewage, caused by the blockage of drains and manholes.

The situation was presented during the last accountability meeting of the delegates, and it has been repeatedly reported to responsible entities such as the Integral Company of Hydraulic Resources of Isla de la Juventud, its management in La Fe, the Population Attention Department of the PCC, and directly to the director of the hydraulic company through a neighbor.

The response has been as scarce as it is frustrating: there is no staff, no tape, no resources... and the solution, as they indicate, depends on the unclogging truck —known as "the Monster"— which also cannot come due to a lack of fuel.

But the neighbors are not buying that argument: "that very same truck that doesn't have oil has come to La Fe several times to clear out areas with much more recent damage than ours," the letter emphasizes.

After a year of unfulfilled promises, selective visits, and a bureaucracy that seems more interested in justifying its inaction than in solving problems, those affected continue to wait for a solution that should have arrived before the next rainy season. So far, there has been nothing but silence.

At the end of May, the newspaper Victoria revealed that the ecological project Manantial, designed to clean up the Santa Fe river and revitalize the Santa Rita beach, in the Isle of Youth, has been trapped in bureaucratic limbo for eight years, suffering from inadequate management by the Municipal Delegation of Hydraulic Resources regarding the donation of 200,000 dollars made by a French association of electrical workers.

According to the source, the donation was specifically for repairing or reconstructing the oxidation lagoons of the neighborhoods Camilo Cienfuegos and Cochabamba, whose wastewater flows directly into the Santa Fe River without undergoing any treatment.

Far from progressing, the untreated sewage continues to flow into the tributary, threatening not only a fragile ecosystem but also a potential source of income for the region and for Cuba.

Although the local Water Resources Company claimed that the lack of fuel was the reason for the agreed noncompliance, there was fuel available before, but it was not used. They also haven’t sought an alternative solution… when the truth is that there may be one,” questioned the media outlet.

Recently, it was revealed that the streets of the Casino Deportivo neighborhood in the Cerro municipality of Havana are flooded with sewage, forcing children to walk through waste to reach school.

The situation of unsanitary conditions affecting various neighborhoods throughout Cuba is not an isolated issue, but rather a reflection of a multisystemic crisis impacting the entire country. More than 173,000 Cubans lack access to adequate sanitation systems, according to official figures, highlighting the magnitude of the problem and the urgency for a comprehensive solution.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Sanitation Crisis in the Isle of Youth