A neighbor from the Rivas Fraga neighborhood in Ciego de Ávila recorded and posted a video on Facebook showing an active leak in the city's bypass while her neighborhood has gone weeks without receiving a single drop of water through the pipes.
Silvia Hernández, the author of the clip, explains that she has already approached the head of operations of the water service to address the situation, but received nothing more than an empty response. "They are already working on that," the authorities said.
"Look at how the water is being wasted here and we're still in the same situation. When it comes to Rivas Fraga, not a single drop is falling. Let's see, whoever is responsible for this should do something, please," says the woman in the video.
The complaint resonated strongly among users of the social network. The video garnered thousands of reactions and dozens of comments, with responses reflecting the frustration of the neighbors.
The comments on the video highlight various dimensions of the problem. One of the most striking points out the gap between those who suffer from scarcity and those who manage the resources.
"That water that is wasted doesn’t hurt anyone. The leaders of Ciego de Ávila have their cisterns full at home... and if not, they get them filled by truck," wrote a user.
Another commentator claims to have done work behind the elevated tanks in the city and estimates losses of millions of liters per year. "Go to the back of the elevated tanks and you'll see a real swimming pool. I've done studies there, and in just a second, 20 liters of the best water is wasted... but it all stopped there."
Irony also had its place. A resident of Havana wrote that he would envy having that water source on the corner of his house. "I've been carrying water for months, and it only reaches a few blocks down."
In April, a neighbor from Ciego de Ávila reported 36 days without being able to store water because prolonged blackouts prevented the filling of tanks during the brief supply turns. 87% of the Cuban supply system relies on the electrical grid, which turns every power outage into a simultaneous water cut.
In Cuba, 2.7 million people lack regular access to drinking water, and about 10 million receive it intermittently.
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