The Canal Caribe of official television broadcast a report this Thursday in which specialists from Aguas de La Habana attribute the serious water crisis affecting more than 500,000 consumers in the Cuban capital to the U.S. embargo, while the energy deficit reaches a new historical high of 2,341 MW unfulfilled.
In the report, the director of the Aqueducts of Aguas de La Habana Abel Fernández Díaz stated: "With the tightening of the blockade and all the measures that have been taken, which affect the supply of fuel, including that which is essential for the company, we are also impacted by the availability of fuel, and the generation that is affected by the supply of fuel will likewise affect the water supply."
What the official report overlooks is that the crisis has structural roots that go far beyond external sanctions, encompassing decades of underinvestment, lack of maintenance of thermal power plants, and a water system that relies on the electrical grid for 87% of its operation.
Of the 480 main pumping stations nationwide, only 135 are in protected circuits against power outages, turning each blackout into an immediate water crisis for millions of Cubans.
The director of the National Cargo Office Félix Hernández Rodríguez acknowledged in the same report: "The Electric Utility also prioritizes water service, providing service to wells and the large water supply basins for the capital and the provinces. However, with the deficits we are currently facing, the energy available is not sufficient to support this water pumping, especially in the aquifers."
In response to the emergency, the regime is resorting to temporary measures: tanker truck drivers are making up to three daily trips to municipalities such as Diez de Octubre and Arroyo Naranjo, prioritizing hospitals, educational centers, and production plants for food and medicines.
Fernández acknowledged that distributing water in tankers "is not the ideal solution," but pointed out that he aims to ensure the population "at least has access to a level of water that allows them to take care of their daily needs."
The escalation of impacts has been progressive and well documented. In April 2026, blackouts left 200,000 Cubans without water; in May, the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources confirmed 376,055 residents of Havana affected; in July, the company’s specialists themselves raised the figure to over 500,000.
The accumulated citizen discontent has surpassed the official narrative. Residents of Mantilla blocked the Calzada de Managua on July 5 after more than two months without regular supply, while in El Cerro, residents protested after more than three days without water.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 107 street protests in June 2026, a historic all-time high, in a context where approximately 2.7 million Cubans suffer from water shortages daily.
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