A resident of the Mirador del Diezmero neighborhood in the Havana municipality of San Miguel del Padrón reported in a live broadcast on Facebook that her community has been trapped for over ten days between prolonged blackouts and a lack of drinking water, a situation she described as unsustainable and desperate.
Bertha Mariela Sablón Roque, a resident of Callejón Otero, explained that the electrical circuit supplying the turbine responsible for providing water to Diezmero, San Francisco, and part of San Miguel del Padrón has been practically inactive for days. She stated that residents are enduring power outages lasting between 24 and 28 consecutive hours, and they only receive service for about 20 to 30 minutes.
"We're going twenty-four, twenty-six, even up to twenty-eight hours without electricity, and what they're giving us is only twenty minutes," the woman stated, identifying herself by name during the broadcast.
The limited electricity prevents the motors that pump water to those communities from operating. Although, as explained, the trucks from Aguas de La Habana come to open the system's valves, the supply never reaches the homes.
"The water truck from Havana is coming, open the valve and you turn off the light. And how? Tell me how, if they don't bring oil to start those turbine engines, how are they going to push the water?" he questioned.
The neighbor assured that the scarcity has driven many families into extreme situations. While some are trying to dig artisanal wells to supply themselves, others, she said, have even resorted to septic tank water.
"Here, people seem almost like cannibals. Everyone is desperately trying to dig wells; those who can do it, and those who can't, cannot. There are people drinking pit water. It’s terrible and disgusting what we are going through," he stated.
Hours later, Sablón Roque published a second video, this time at night, to report that the only response from the authorities after his complaint became public was the dispatch of a single water truck for the entire Cayotero area.
According to the account, the measure proved to be insufficient and led to disputes among the neighbors.
"People are fighting out there for a bucket of water. And a single bucket doesn't solve the problem of so many days without water," he lamented.
Neighbors report that the water still hasn't arrived
The complaint was supported by other residents of the municipality. Diana Duarte stated on Facebook that San Miguel del Padrón has been without water since July 12 and questioned why circuit H-443 appears as energized in the official records while the reality is very different.
"They call you and tell you that the circuit is indeed connected," he wrote.
In the Facebook group "Victims of Aguas de La Habana," another resident of Mirador del Diezmero stated that he has been without water for over two months, while he reported the existence of leaks on San Miguel street that waste the water that never reaches the homes located in the higher areas.
Sablon Roque also accused the authorities of prioritizing other sectors by diverting the electricity supply to areas like Veracruz, where —he claimed— small and medium private enterprises operate, while the circuit supplying the turbine remains out of service. He added that his calls to the superintendent of San Miguel del Padrón and to representatives of the Communist Party have gone unanswered.
The complaint arises amid the deep energy and water crisis that Cuba is facing. In July 2026, over half a million residents of Havana have experienced interruptions in the drinking water supply due to prolonged blackouts, while the National Electric System recorded a record deficit of 2,341 megawatts on July 11.
San Miguel del Padrón had already been the scene of protests in recent months. In June, residents held pot-banging protests and burned tires to demand electricity and food, while in July 2025 residents of the municipality also took to the streets after being without electricity for five days due to a transformer failure.
At the end of his broadcast, Sablón Roque made a direct appeal to the authorities to restore the circuit that powers the water turbine.
"Enough is enough, gentlemen, enough. Release the turbine circuit now. Water is a basic and essential necessity," she demanded before concluding with a personal testimony: "I am sick and I can't even wash myself. Enough already!"
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