The Cuban government has started to mobilize generators to support the first 29 water supply sources and boosters in Havana, in an effort to prevent prolonged blackouts from also leaving hundreds of thousands of residents in the capital without water.
The measure was discussed on Tuesday during a meeting led by Miguel Díaz-Canel with executives and specialists from the hydraulic and electric sectors, as reported by the Presidencia de Cuba, which described water pumping as an "urgent task."
"During the meeting, it was reported that for the support of the first 29 selected supply sources and boosters, generators from distributed generation are being moved," the official report stated.
So far, nearly 70 sites have been inspected to assess how pumping can be maintained despite the lack of electricity.
Authorities hope that the measures will start to bring about "a moment of change" in the critical situation over the coming months, although they did not provide a specific date for normalizing the service.
In addition to the generators, the Government announced its intention to seek greater energy independence for hydraulic systems through photovoltaic solar parks, solar complexes, and energy storage systems in facilities deemed important for supply.
Vice Prime Minister Inés María Chapman also called for addressing other issues that are not directly related to electricity, such as the operation of valves, the elimination of leaks, the protection of equipment, and the training of workers.
Díaz-Canel assured that the matter will undergo frequent checks.
Days before, he had visited the Paso Seco fountain in Boyeros, which is deemed strategic for supplying water mainly to the southern and central parts of Havana and is currently undergoing maintenance and recovery work.
The situation worsened on August 21 due to a break in a 78-inch pipeline from the Southern Basin, which impacted the service in Plaza de la Revolución, Diez de Octubre, Cerro, Centro Habana, Habana Vieja, and parts of Boyeros.
The issue of supply is particularly serious because the electricity crisis and the water crisis are closely interconnected.
Around 87% of the pumping system in Havana relies on electric supply, which means that prolonged power outages can also halt the facilities responsible for delivering water to homes.
In July, over half a million people in Havana were already facing supply issues. The combination of days without water and electricity has led to numerous citizen complaints.
The emergency solutions tested in August reflect the magnitude of the problem.
The authorities began to install 20 manual pumps in Havana East, a project officially introduced as an "innovative manual pumping system" intended to initially benefit over 3,000 people.
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