The Cuban activist Silverio Portal documented in a video a new garbage burning in the streets of Havana, a practice that has become a daily sight in the capital due to the collapse of waste collection services.
The scene captured by Portal shows the accumulation of waste and its combustion in the middle of the public road, an image that is repeated in various municipalities in Havana, with increasingly severe consequences for the health and safety of the residents.
Havana only has 44 of its 106 garbage trucks operational, paralyzed by a fuel shortage, and has only 10,000 containers when it needs between 20,000 and 30,000.
In the absence of the State, neighbors have taken up burning as a desperate measure. "It's been more than 10 days since a garbage truck has come by," is heard repeated in various neighborhoods of the city.
The episodes have multiplied in recent months. A thick smoke covered the Marianao area in April, while days earlier a fire was reported due to the burning of a garbage dump at the intersection of Águilas and Monte, right in the heart of the capital.
In Guanabacoa, the neighbors burned waste near the Ángel Machado Ameijeiras polyclinic, putting patients and medical staff at direct risk. Weeks earlier, in February, a fire was reported at collection points in Palatino and Vía Blanca, further exacerbating the health crisis.
The government has announced a foreign investment project for garbage collection, but the measure has been met with skepticism.
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