A young resident of Marianao recorded a video of complaint this Monday in which she reported that her community had been without potable water for 12 consecutive days, a situation she described as "shameless" and for which she demanded a solution within 24 hours.
In the recording, shared on social media by the influencer Alain Paparazzi Cubano, the young woman explained that the only time water reached the area was "a trickle" that was not enough to fill any container.
In the face of this void, private water trucks have become the only alternative, but at a cost she considers unacceptable: 45,000 Cuban pesos for a water service that in March —just four months ago— was around 7,000 pesos.
"How long will this shamelessness last? They take away our electricity, they take away our water. What else are they going to take from us?" she asked, clearly outraged.
The young woman also pointed out the practical consequences of the shortage: food is spoiling and daily life is becoming unsustainable. "Food is going to waste, they don't care about anything. If you don't care about our families, then we shouldn't have to care about you either," she stated.
Regarding the informal market for water tanks, she was categorical: "I am not going to pay for any tank, because I don't feel like it. Because water is something that everyone should have. It's not even something that should be demanded."
Her message concluded with a direct demand: "I demand that we get water within 24 hours. This is not a threat; I am an ordinary citizen who is also fed up with you having everything while we have to muster every bit of courage just to get a little, and now you want to take even that away from us."
The price of 45,000 pesos mentioned by the complainant is at the upper end of the informal market in the capital, where standard loads range from 18,000 to 26,000 Cuban pesos, with peaks of up to 50,000 in areas with greater shortages. To put the impact into perspective: the minimum wage in Cuba is 2,100 pesos, making a single load equivalent to between eight and 21 minimum salaries.
Marianao is one of the municipalities most affected by this dual crisis in the capital. The structural problem is that 87% of Havana's water system relies on the electrical grid to operate its pumps, and the power outages in July 2026 reach between 22 and 30 hours daily, nullifying any attempts to pump water.
The magnitude of the water crisis in the capital has continued to grow: in April 2026, around 200,000 people were already experiencing supply problems; in May, the number rose to 376,000 people affected in Havana; and this month, according to specialists from the state company Aguas de La Habana, more than half a million Habaneros are suffering from the crisis. On a national level, approximately 2.7 million Cubans face water scarcity on a daily basis.
Marianao has a history of protests in 2026 directly linked to this situation. On July 1, residents of the Zamora neighborhood took to the streets with pots and pans shouting "Freedom!" and "water and electricity" after more than 24 hours without power and days without water.
On July 6, another neighbor from the same neighborhood reported an entire week without water and 38 consecutive hours without electricity. Previously, in June, protests erupted in Marianao over the lack of running water.
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