A video posted on Facebook showing a huge water leak in front of a children's center in the Havana municipality of San Miguel del Padrón sparked an outpouring of anger among residents who report going weeks or even months without receiving water in their homes.
The clip, shared on July 22 by user Yasser Ramos Larrinaga, shows the San Miguel del Padrón boulevard completely flooded with drinking water running uncontrollably among garbage, debris, and other waste.
"Water leak in the roadway of San Miguel del Padrón in front of a Children's Circle," wrote the internet user.
The post generated dozens of comments from neighbors who contrasted the water waste with the scarcity they face daily.
"That's what I just can't understand, leaks everywhere and the town without a drop of water," commented a resident.
Another assured that the problem is not limited to that point.
"The entire roadway of San Miguel has a drain from La Virgen road to Diezmero," he wrote.
"We have been without water for more than two months."
The testimonies shared under the post reflect a crisis affecting various neighborhoods in the municipality and nearby areas.
A resident of Las Delicias del Diezmero reported that she had been 70 consecutive days without service.
From the Merceditas neighborhood, another resident stated that their community had not received water since May 25th.
"Not a drop of water is falling," he wrote, while recalling that among those affected are bedridden individuals, the elderly, and newborns.
Other users reported similar issues in San Francisco de Paula, Mirador del Diezmero, El Cotorro, and Reparto Eléctrico, where they claim that service interruptions have been ongoing for over two months.
For some neighbors, the situation has become a part of the daily landscape.
"They have been like this for years, broken streets, a leak of drinking water and sewage as well. This doesn't frighten those of us who were born in San Miguel; it has been this way since I was born 40 years ago," commented a resident.
Criticism of the authorities
The lack of repair of the drainage system also sparked criticism toward the government's management.
"That is what the government needs to look at and stop sending so many patrols just because of the sound of the pots," wrote a woman, referring to the police response to neighborhood protests.
Another user added: "And the Mirador del Diezmero has been without water for two months. That's not the blockade's fault."
In addition to the waste of drinking water, several neighbors alerted about the health risk posed by the stagnant water in front of a children's institution.
In the comments, they expressed concern about the proliferation of mosquitoes and the potential for diseases such as dengue and hepatitis, especially since it is an area frequented by small children.
A crisis that is worsening
The case reflects the seriousness of the water supply crisis that Havana is facing.
Specialists from Aguas de La Habana reported this month that more than 500,000 residents of the capital are experiencing service disruptions, a figure that has steadily increased throughout 2026.
The authorities have attributed part of the problem to prolonged blackouts, as approximately 87% of the supply system relies on electricity to pump water into homes.
This is compounded by the deterioration of the hydraulic infrastructure. Official data cited by various media outlets indicates that between 40% and 70% of the water pumped in Havana is lost due to leaks before reaching consumers, while the government itself acknowledged in 2023 the existence of more than 4,000 active leaks in the national network.
The report from San Miguel del Padrón came just a few days before Miguel Díaz-Canel publicly stated, during the national event for July 26, that the country is making progress in the recovery of essential services, including the water supply. Meanwhile, residents claim that the leak remains unrepaired and that their homes continue to lack the resource that is being wasted just a few meters away.
Filed under: