Residents of the town of Bolondrón, in Matanzas, have begun to collect water directly from a leak in the street, which has turned into an improvised source of supply due to the scarcity of this resource.
A video shared by journalist Mario J. Pentón shows women and men filling buckets and containers in the middle of a dilapidated street, while some neighbors loudly voice their complaints about the situation.
The audiovisual material features a resident lamenting the conditions of the place and noting that no one has come to fix the issue.
The water leak has turned into a sort of community "well" where neighborhood residents gather to obtain the essential liquid for daily life, as the regular supply does not reach their homes.
The post generated numerous reactions from users on social media, many of whom are current or former residents of the area.
Some confirmed that the water shortage has been ongoing for months. One user stated that she has been buying water for six months because the service does not reach her home due to the numerous leaks in the network.
Other comments described a broader picture of precariousness in the municipality of Pedro Betancourt, to which Bolondrón belongs, with interruptions in the electrical service, failures in the pumping systems, and the closure of institutions such as children's circles due to lack of water.
The episode occurs amidst a widespread crisis in the water supply in the province of Matanzas.
The authorities themselves have acknowledged that the disruptions affect all municipalities, with pumping systems operating intermittently due to power outages and accumulated technical failures in the hydraulic infrastructure.
According to the director of the Water Supply and Sanitation Company in the area, the well fields that supply the city can only operate for short periods when electricity is available, forcing the prioritization of certain services while large areas remain without water supply.
The situation is exacerbated by breakdowns that have gone unresolved for months in various hydraulic systems, and by the limited capacity of equipment that operates with solar panels.
As an alternative, the supply via tanker trucks continues in some areas, although the authorities themselves acknowledge that it is insufficient given the magnitude of the demand.
In response to the prolonged crisis, in various neighborhoods of Matanzas, residents have started digging wells in their yards, sidewalks, and even inside their homes to try to ensure access to water.
In some cases, the drilling reaches several meters in depth and its cost can exceed 200 dollars, an amount that is unaffordable for many families.
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