Residents of Monserrate and Obrapía streets, in Old Havana, took to the streets to demand the restoration of drinking water and electricity, according to a video shared by CubaNet Noticias on social media.
The Police arrived at the scene and removed the objects with which the protesters were blocking the road.
After the police intervention, witnesses present indicated that the authorities promised to restore both services, although they did not provide specific timelines.
The protest is not an isolated incident. On Monday, residents of Villegas 409, between Teniente Rey and Muralla, closed the street due to repeated power outages and the inaction of the authorities.
At the beginning of August, residents of the Belén neighborhood on Inquisidor Street staged a "cacerolazo" protest due to power outages, water shortages, and food scarcity, according to a report by Cuba Herald.
In July, the same municipality experienced several similar incidents: loud pot banging during a prolonged blackout on the 28th of that month, and a protest in San Isidro on the 17th, when residents had been without electricity for four days and without water for five.
On June 28, residents of Old Havana shouted "Freedom!" after more than 40 hours without electricity.
The connection between power outages and lack of water is structural: 87% of Cuban aqueducts rely on electric pumps, meaning that every prolonged outage also disrupts the water supply.
On Monday, Aguas de La Habana reported a serious breakdown in the hydraulic infrastructure of the Southern Basin: a rupture in the 78-inch pipe and three additional leaks left Old Havana, Plaza de la Revolución, Diez de Octubre, Cerro, Centro Habana, and part of Boyeros without water, with no estimated date for restoration.
The number of affected individuals in the capital continues to rise: in April, there were 200,000 Havana residents without regular access to water; in May, this number rose to 376,055, and by July, it surpassed half a million people.
The pattern that repeats in every episode is always the same: neighbors block streets or participate in pot-banging protests, the police intervene, and authorities promise immediate solutions that never materialize.
On a national scale, July 2026 marked a historic record of protests: the Cuban Conflict Observatory recorded 1,415 events in a single month, according to data published by Infobae.
Cubalex recorded 766 street actions in 141 municipalities during the first half of the year, with 410 arbitrary arrests in that period.
"The crisis of basic services continues to lead Cubans down the path of protest against the regime," summarized CubaNet Noticias as they published images of the demonstration at Monserrate and Obrapía.
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