The population of the municipal capital of Sancti Spíritus continues to receive cloudy water, with an unpleasant smell and the presence of insects, a situation that the authorities acknowledge and attribute to the drought and issues with the supply sources, with no immediate solutions in sight.
“'In my house, the water comes out black,' said a resident of Espiritu. 'Sometimes the vector control staff come to the house, check the tanks, and say: 'There are little bugs,' they want to impose a fine, but those bugs come with the water itself,” expressed another person who provided testimony to the news program VisionEs, from the official newspaper Escambray, posted on their YouTube channel.
Another citizen added that in the educational institution where they work, in the newly filled tanks, with clean containers, vectors are floating. Other residents claim to have found worms, snails, and mosquito larvae directly coming out of the pipes.
The director of the Provincial Aqueduct and Sewage Company, Roberto Nápoles, acknowledged that the capital municipality is the most affected area.
He explained that, unlike other areas that receive water from wells, Sancti Spíritus relies on rivers and reservoirs that are currently heavily impacted by the drought.
The Yayabo water treatment plant, with a capacity of 283 liters per second, only pumps 100 due to a lack of flow, which directly impacts the quality of the supply.
According to Naples, the low availability of water results in it arriving with odor and sediments, which has necessitated the application of differentiated chemical treatments and an increase in the chlorine dosage, “without affecting human health.”
He assured that the company is working together with the Health Department to identify critical points, especially in the southern area of the city, and is conducting actions such as drainage in the network, cleaning of pipes, and removal of accumulations.
Authorities have inspected some of the areas reported by the population, such as the Kilo 12 neighborhood, where they found murky water with a foul odor.
They assert that, following the cleaning and chlorination interventions, the problem has decreased in those cases, although they acknowledge that the drought will continue to affect supply in the coming months.
To alleviate the situation, water is being distributed through tank trucks, thanks to the fuel provided by the government, as the company does not have sufficient reserves to maintain operations on a continuous basis.
However, Nápoles warned that the impact of the drought and technical limitations will continue to affect the service, which is currently characterized by a combination of poor quality, intermittency, and social discontent.
In April, it was reported that, in just one year, the number of people receiving water via tanker trucks in the central province rose from around 40,000 in May 2024 to nearly 82,000 today.
The water crisis is worsening in the province due to three factors: severe drought, power outages, and lack of infrastructure.
In the midst of this situation, the people of Sancti Spíritus demand not only explanations but also guarantees that the water reaching their homes is safe for consumption and free from the health risks that currently accompany it.
The presence of live animals in the water that reaches homes in Sancti Spíritus has generated a wave of indignation on social media, where residents are reporting the appearance of worms, slugs, snails, and even fish coming out of pipes supposedly meant for drinking water.
Authorities have acknowledged high levels of water turbidity in the water supply to the population, a condition that, rather than being exceptional, has become a constant in several provinces of the country.
In areas like Mayabeque, the situation has been alarming for some time. Residents have reported brown-colored water, with visible sediments and an unpleasant odor, forcing them to boil or filter it before any domestic use.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Water Crisis in Sancti Spíritus
What is the main cause of poor water quality in Sancti Spíritus?
The poor quality of water in Sancti Spíritus is mainly attributed to the drought, which has significantly impacted supply sources such as rivers and reservoirs, along with issues in the distribution infrastructure. This has resulted in murky water with unpleasant odors and the presence of insects, causing outrage among the population.
What measures are the authorities taking to improve water quality?
The authorities are implementing differentiated chemical treatments and increasing the dose of chlorine in an effort to improve water quality. Furthermore, they are working on cleaning pipes and removing sediment build-up. However, these actions have yielded limited results due to the ongoing drought and technical issues.
How does the drought affect water distribution in Sancti Spíritus?
The drought has significantly reduced the capacity of water treatment plants, such as the one in Yayabo, which can only pump 100 of the 283 liters per second that it is capable of. This has forced the distribution of water through tanker trucks, although the amount of fuel available for this activity is limited, exacerbating the issue of water access.
What social impact does the water crisis have on the population of Sancti Spíritus?
The water crisis has generated deep social discontent, as the population demands guarantees that the water reaching their homes is safe for consumption. The presence of insects and animals in the water has further fueled outrage, and short-term solutions like distributing water via trucks have not been enough to ease the discontent.
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