A video posted on Facebook by Pedro Lavié shows dozens of residents from the community of Guatemala —also known as Preston— in the municipality of Mayarí, province of Holguín, collecting water under extremely precarious conditions while denouncing the simultaneous lack of electricity, drinking water, and medical care.
In the recording, which has more than 16,000 views on Facebook, the author walks through the community and documents the daily reality in his own voice: "Every day the same misery, getting up to watch for a water truck to arrive or paying between 2,000 and 4,000 pesos for two water tanks; there is no electricity, it's turned on for two hours every other day, this is how we live as Cubans."
The video also shows the local hospital in a state of complete abandonment. "Look at our hospital; it has no windows, no medication, not even a damn thing," Lavié denounces in front of the camera, in footage that aligns with previous complaints about the deterioration of the Hospital Docente Mártires de Mayarí.
The scene that closes the video encapsulates the situation: neighbors of all ages gathered around a water truck with buckets, containers, and any available receptacles. "This is Cuba: without electricity, no water, no communication; the total and absolute misery of a people," the author concludes.
The community of Guatemala is not facing this crisis for the first time. On June 4th, its residents marched to the police shouting "Freedom!" and "We want water!", in one of the most recent protests in Holguín over the collapse of basic services. In March 2026, neighbors from the same town had already protested when Mayarí went up to 51 hours without electricity. Records of protests due to water scarcity in Guatemala date back at least to June 2023.
The local drama reflects an unprecedented national crisis. In June 2026, Cuba is experiencing its worst documented energy collapse, with generation deficits of around 2,000 MW during peak hours: the Unión Eléctrica has barely 1,000-1,090 MW available against a demand of over 3,000 MW.
Since the Cuban hydraulic system relies on electric pumps, every power outage automatically results in a water cut. The national hydraulic system was operating in June 2026 with only 37% of the fuel needed for pumping. According to official data, nearly 2.7 million Cubans were experiencing a total lack of drinking water, while around 10 million had intermittent supply.
In Holguín, entire communities had been without water for over five months due to the hydraulic networks since October 2025, and in November of that year, Hurricane Melissa further worsened the situation in Seboruco, Mayarí, where residents reported 23 days without electricity or drinking water.
The comments on the video reflect the desperation of Cubans both on and off the Island. "It's embarrassing what we are experiencing in the 21st century, pure misery, and it's the same everywhere you go—Nicaro, Levisa, and all of Cuba are in the same situation," wrote one user. Another summed up the vicious cycle the country is enduring: "This is happening throughout Cuba because without electricity, there’s no pumping. No water, folks, this can't go on any longer."
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