A Cuban woman went viral on social media this Thursday by showcasing the system she improvised to collect rainwater and fill her tank after 10 days without supply, highlighting the water crisis affecting the island.
The user identified as meli_maura_ posted on Instagram a video showing how she installed a channel at the top of her house to direct rainwater to the storage tank.
The recording is accompanied by a phrase that captures the resignation of many Cubans: "One must laugh to avoid crying; this is unbearable."
While showcasing the makeshift system, the woman humorously celebrates that water has finally reached the tank. "Look at her, proud because she is already filling her tank. She made a channel from above, placed a pipe, and is filling it from the back. If the ANIR (Cuban Association of Innovators and Rationalizers) finds out, they'll give me an award," she remarks with laughter.
The reel surpassed 5,200 reactions and generated dozens of comments from Cubans who identified with the scene. Some resorted to humor to describe the situation.
"We are the true survival reality," wrote a user. Others shared similar experiences. "I've even bathed with rainwater; I stay slippery but clean, it's been a while since we've had water here," commented another internet user.
A resident on the third floor lamented that she cannot implement the idea due to the limitations of her housing, while another user recommended adding bleach to rainwater to disinfect it and prevent unpleasant odors.
"The struggle for the survival of Cubans," summarized one of the comments below the video, a phrase that encapsulates the daily reality of thousands of families forced to turn every rainstorm into an opportunity to stock up on water.
The recording adds to a series of complaints that highlight the worsening of the water crisis in Cuba. In recent days, a Cuban woman reported that she had gone nine months without receiving water from the hydraulic network and summed up her situation with the phrase "here one does not live anymore, here one survives."
In Imías, Guantánamo, a mother raised the alarm that her family had been without service for more than five weeks while her daughter's atopic dermatitis worsened.
In Lawton, another woman reported being threatened with arrest after requesting solutions following 15 days without water or electricity while caring for her sick daughter.
The deterioration of the supply system has structural causes. Eighty-seven percent of the pumping stations in the country depend on the National Electroenergetic System, which means that prolonged blackouts automatically disrupt the water supply.
Additionally, the system operates with only 37% of the required fuel, and 40% of the pumping equipment is in an advanced state of deterioration.
In Havana, between 40% and 70% of the water pumped is lost due to leaks before it reaches households.
Official figures reflect the worsening of the problem. In the capital, the number of affected individuals increased from 200,000 in April to more than 500,000 in July.
At the national level, nearly three million Cubans lack regular access to drinking water, while the vast majority of the population receives the service intermittently.
In the absence of effective solutions, more and more families are turning to improvised wells, systems for collecting rainwater, or the informal market.
Weeks ago, it was reported that in cities like Havana, a 55-gallon tank can cost up to 2,500 pesos and a water truck can reach 60,000 pesos, which is equivalent to almost 19 monthly minimum salaries.
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