Residents from various areas of Cienfuegos reported that the water they receive in their homes arrives with larvae, insects, dirt, and other living organisms, a situation that has caused alarm and strong criticism regarding the quality of the supply.
The state channel Perlavisión made the complaint public this Tuesday after receiving testimonies from residents of several areas served by the Damují pipeline in Abreus.
A resident of Pueblo Griffo directly described what was coming out of the pipes: "In the homes, water is coming through the sink with large larvae, little red worms, and a lot of sludge."
From the Pastorita neighborhood, another resident shared an even more alarming account. "We are alive by miracle. Water with dragonfly larvae, algae, and all kinds of insects," she stated.
The woman reported that at the end of July, during a single cycle of her automatic washing machine, she had to clean the filter twice due to the number of living organisms that had accumulated.
"You complain to the Waterworks and it’s all in vain (...) I don’t understand how the CPHEM can say that is drinkable," he questioned.
Perlavisión described the situation as "unsustainable" and publicly directed the complaint to the Water and Sewage Company of Cienfuegos and the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology (CPHEM).
The comments under the post expanded the scope of complaints. Residents reported encountering similar situations in Reina, Pastorita, Pueblo Griffo, Obourke, and Punta Gótica, among other areas.
A person assured that in Reina the problem of water quality "is compounded by sewage", while another stated that the situation with the larvae would not be recent and has been ongoing for "quite some time, years".
Other testimonies described unusual scenes. One resident stated that "even guppies are coming out of the tap," while another claimed to have found "even a little shrimp" in the water that came into her home.
Amid the outrage, irony also emerged. One commentator summed up the situation with a phrase: "Now it's unclear whether you have a filter or a fish tank in the kitchen."
Several residents also reported long periods without supply. In Pastorita, residents claimed to have gone three or four days without water before receiving it again dirty, while others pointed out interruptions lasting up to five days in various areas.
One of the comments stated that the water arrived "with live larvae and without chlorine."
Another person reported feeling compelled to spend money on buying water and to strain the water intended for cooking.
There were also new reports from Reina about a possible mix with sewage water, a particularly sensitive issue in that area.
In 2024, authorities faced an outbreak of hepatitis A amid the contamination of drinking water with wastewater.
Then issues related to sanitation, leaks, and blockages in the hydraulic networks were identified.
Reports concerning the quality of the water supply have continued. In April of this year, residents of Cienfuegos alerted about water with mud and a foul smell and pointed out a possible crossover between drinking water pipes and drainage systems.
The presence of living organisms in domestic water is not a phenomenon exclusive to Cienfuegos.
In Sancti Spíritus, residents reported in 2025 larvae, worms, insects, snails, and even fish coming out of the pipes, to the point of resorting to homemade sieves and filters.
Days later, authorities in Sancti Spíritus acknowledged issues with water quality, while residents continued to report sediments, foul odor, snails, and mosquito larvae.
More recently, in Camagüey, a report revealed brown and muddy liquid flowing directly from a faucet, and in June, residents raised concerns about yellowish water with a strong smell of decay.
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