The energy crisis and water supply shortage in Cuba continues to worsen. While the Electric Union (UNE) anticipates a record deficit of 2,380 MW this Wednesday, which could leave approximately 74% of the country without electricity simultaneously, residents of Havana and Camagüey are increasingly voicing their complaints about the lack of electricity and drinking water, a combination that is making daily life unsustainable.
The expected impact surpasses the previous highs recorded on July 5 and 17 and confirms the deterioration of the National Electric System, which has experienced several collapses this month and historic deficits.
In Havana, the electrical crisis has an immediate effect on the water supply. Approximately 87% of the distribution system relies on electric pumping stations, so each blackout leaves hundreds of thousands of people without service.
During July, more than 500,000 residents of Havana have been affected by the lack of water, a significant increase compared to the 376,055 reported in May and the 200,000 recorded in April.
Amid this situation, social media has become the primary platform to express the desperation of those facing the crisis.
Marielsy Gamboa, a resident of San Pedro in the Cotorro municipality, published a message that reflects the exhaustion of many Cuban families.
"We are dying, please, let the countries come together and do something; this is so hard. I am writing nonstop, crying. Asking for a divine intervention, my Almighty God, forgive us, we can’t take it anymore."
The woman reported that the electricity service is only available for brief moments.
"The power comes like it’s a nightclub, cutting off for three minutes, then it’s gone; that's how three hours go by, and then they take it away completely."
He also stated that the claims made to the Electric Company and the authorities have gone unanswered.
"We can't even leave this country because we don't have money; if we did, we would have already left," he wrote, even offering his home in exchange for two tickets to leave Cuba.
Months without running water
The situation is no different in the Alberro neighborhood, also in Cotorro. There, Indira Miyar claims she has been without water for several months.
"Until when will there be disrespect and a lack of consideration?" she wrote on social media.
According to the report, the water trucks only supply certain buildings "where someone important lives or where payment is made," while numerous families with young children, elderly adults, and sick individuals continue to wait.
The shortage has also driven up prices in the informal market. According to reports published in Facebook groups from Havana, a water truck can reach up to 60,000 Cuban pesos, an amount that is unattainable for most households when compared to the minimum monthly wage of 3,210 pesos. Even a 55-gallon plastic tank is sold for between 2,000 and 2,500 pesos.
Camagüey also faces serious problems
In Camagüey, the shortages are due to electrical failures caused by the intense rains in recent days.
The state media Cadena Agramonte reported that the Cuban-Bulgarian pumping station, the main supply source for the city, remains out of service due to electrical system failures.
The maintenance director of the Water Company, Osmany Muñoz Lezcano, confirmed that the facility "has not been able to integrate into the supply system in the area" and that the electrical issues have not yet been resolved.
As a result, only some low-lying areas of the city of Camagüey receive water from the Pontezuela and Máximo reservoirs, although in insufficient volumes to meet the demand.
A crisis that affects millions of Cubans
The situation extends beyond these two provinces. According to official figures, around 2.7 million Cubans lack regular access to drinking water, and nearly 10 million receive the service intermittently.
July 2026 has also become the worst month of the year for the national electrical system. The country experienced four collapses of the grid during the month, and on July 10, it recorded a deficit of 2,341 MW, a figure that will be surpassed again this Wednesday.
Without substantive solutions
So far, the government has not introduced measures capable of reversing the crisis.
The Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, , which he described as "genocide." Meanwhile, Miguel Díaz-Canel called for "better organization" of the blackouts, although he did not announce a plan to resolve the structural problems of the electrical system.
The authorities have promised to integrate six thermal power units that would provide approximately 400 MW of additional generation, a capacity that the Government itself acknowledges is insufficient to meet national demand.
Meanwhile, the appeal from Marielsy Gamboa encapsulates the feelings of thousands of Cubans living amid blackouts, water shortages, and extreme heat.
"Help!!! I wish this would reach the UN. Who cares about Cuba?" he wrote, before asking for his post to be shared "so it can reach where it needs to go."
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