A massive dump has gone 102 days without being cleared in a residential area of Santa Clara, according to a citizen complaint shared on social media, which shows piles of garbage just a few meters from residential buildings.
The images posted on Instagram and Facebook by journalist Mary Lenia Pérez Cazorla show a vast accumulation of bags, plastics, debris, and other waste.
"Dump in Santa Clara. In the middle of a residential area. 102 days without cleaning. The garbage and bad smell have made it impossible to pass through there," the complaint states.
Residents in the area confirmed in the comments that the accumulation of waste has reached a point where it hinders regular traffic.
"My route to work is exactly like that, but it's now impossible to pass through there," reported a resident. Another stated that he had to take a detour of one block to avoid the dump.
The testimonies also indicate that the problem is not limited to that area of Santa Clara.
"On every two corners of Santa Clara, there is a trash bin that takes up half the street," reported a user. Another pointed out the existence of a micro-dump at the corner of Colón and Estrada Palma, in front of a daycare center.
From the municipality of Camajuaní, another resident described a similar situation: "In Camajuaní, it's just the same. That dirtiness is uniform all over Cuba."
Among the comments, there are criticisms regarding the lack of fuel for waste collection and, above all, about the management of the authorities.
"If the State has fuel to sell in dollars, then it should have enough to ensure waste collection in the province, which is essential for hygiene and health for everyone. And that's not the fault of the embargo; it's the result of poor government management," questioned a user.
The prolonged accumulation has also led some people to burn waste, a practice that produces smoke and adds another problem for those living in nearby buildings.
"Every time they light a fire on the 31st, it gets drowned [...] I believe that without that fire, it would now be a mountain twice as big," commented a neighbor.
Concerns about health consequences are also emerging among residents, particularly due to the presence of garbage for over three months in a province affected by mosquito-borne diseases.
"I can't believe it, a province that has lost so many young lives, leaving children orphaned due to dengue," lamented a user.
The size of the dump is such that one of the neighbors estimated that removing it would require heavy machinery and several vehicles.
"Due to the volume of accumulated waste, I estimate it should be collected with a front loader and around 10 dump trucks," he stated.
While garbage continues to pile up between the buildings, another comment summarized the residents' frustration regarding the deteriorating sanitary conditions in the city: "No one cares about anything; then come the diseases and all that kind of stuff, and in the end, they blame it on the cow."
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