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Residents of the La Playa neighborhood in Matanzas have begun to dig wells in their yards, sidewalks, and even inside their homes due to the prolonged lack of drinking water caused by faults in the El Conde supply system.
The official newspaper Girón recently acknowledged in a report that in constituency 43 of the Playa Popular Council, the number of wells increased from 20 in October 2025 to over 40 in just four months, in response to the instability of pumping and the prolonged absence of service.
The situation is not new. Since April 2025 the El Conde system has experienced constant breakdowns.
According to testimonies collected by the local media, the main engine has broken down several times, and the installation of a lower-capacity one has not succeeded in stabilizing the supply.
There are days when water comes intermittently and others when not a drop falls in neighborhoods like Descanso, Manglar, Levante, Callejón de Collazo, and Logia.
Given this situation, many residents have chosen to drill into the ground. Some hire experienced individuals to locate the right spot; others dig on their own with rudimentary tools.
The drillings can reach depths of up to five meters.
The cost of constructing a well exceeds 200 dollars, an amount unattainable for many families in a low-income context. Those who cannot afford it dig manually.
Others rely on private water trucks, which can cost more than 6,000 or 8,000 pesos in local currency, even though water is officially purchased at a much lower price.
The district delegate, Raúl Castillo, acknowledged that at times the valve that is supposed to transfer water from Pueblo Nuevo to La Playa does not open at the scheduled time.
He even claimed to have personally supervised the opening of the valve to ensure the flow, a responsibility that should belong to the entity in charge of the hydraulic system.
In addition to the technical crisis, there is growing health concern. Doctor Juan Carlos Perdomo Arrier from Matanzas warned about the risks of cross-contamination due to the proliferation of pits and wells lacking proper technical regulation.
A poorly located well can become contaminated with waste and pose a health risk in a context where diseases such as hepatitis A and arboviruses are present.
Although Law No. 124 on Terrestrial Waters allows for the construction of rudimentary wells for self-consumption without prior authorization, the quality of the extracted water is not always suitable for human consumption.
Several neighbors have received the same notice following an analysis in Health and Epidemiology: it cannot be consumed, but it can be used for other domestic tasks.
In practice, the everyday scene on streets like Solís reflects a community that has taken to the underground in search of a solution that should flow through the pipes.
As long as the El Conde system does not operate with stability and regularity, the number of wells will continue to multiply. Along with them, health concerns and the economic cost of a prolonged crisis will also increase.
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