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Residents of Colón, Matanzas, report being without drinking water supply for three months in non-prioritized areas of the municipality, where blackouts also exceed 72 consecutive hours, according to a citizen complaint shared this Friday on social media.
"We are living in an unsustainable situation. We have gone three months without receiving potable water, which severely affects our health, hygiene, and quality of life," states the denunciation text, accompanied by a photograph showing a rusty faucet surrounded by buckets and containers, alongside a handwritten sign: "NO WATER FOR 3 MONTHS ENOUGH ALREADY! WATER IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE."
The neighbors claim to have reported the situation to the authorities without receiving a response: "Despite having reported this situation previously to the relevant authorities, we have not received a solution or a clear answer on when the service will be restored."
The crisis in Colón is not an isolated incident, but rather the most recent expression of a structural water collapse that has been affecting the municipality for years.
In January of this year, Colón was already experiencing blackouts of up to 40 consecutive hours, and in 2023 there were reports of pleas for help due to a lack of water in the same area, which shows that the problem is structural and longstanding.
The water crisis has a direct cause: the Cuban hydraulic system relies 87% on the National Electric System for water pumping, so every prolonged blackout also halts the supply.
Throughout the province of Matanzas, power outages exceeded 70 hours in some circuits at the end of June, caused by damage to eight substations and dozens of faulty transformers, including theft of dielectric oil.
The provincial governor Sabines Lorenzo acknowledged on June 27 that some circuits had accumulated between 50 and 60 hours of power outages, while in places like Unión de Reyes and Santa Marta, there were reports of outages lasting between 88 and 96 hours without electricity or water.
The situation in Matanzas reflects a national crisis of alarming proportions.
According to data from May 2026 collected by Los Ángeles Times en español, around 2.7 million Cubans lack regular access to drinking water, nearly 10 million receive intermittent supply, and in 43.3% of households, water is delivered only every three days or more.
The hydraulic system operates with only 37% of the fuel required for pumping, and in Matanzas, all municipalities report technical failures that persist for months without resolution.
In the face of desperation, residents of the province have dug between 20 and 40 wells in sidewalks and backyards in an attempt to alleviate the shortage, with the added risk of fecal contamination and potential outbreaks of hepatitis.
More than 29,000 people in Matanzas still lacked stable access to water despite reported advances with solar pumping by Hydraulic Resources, according to data from 2026.
The residents of Colón demand an immediate response from the regime: "Access to water is a basic right that cannot continue to be ignored."
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