Residents of the Cataluña shelter in the Vista Alegre neighborhood of Lawton staged a protest this Saturday in front of Aguas de La Habana workers to prevent them from opening the street to connect a military installation directly to the water supply line of the Diez de Octubre municipality, according to journalist Magdiel Jorge Castro's report on Instagram.
The neighbors' indignation has a concrete reason: they themselves lack running water and rely on tankers for supply, while the authorities intended to guarantee the supply to what the residents identify as "the Poligráfico," a military facility located at the end of the street.
"All the neighbors went out to address that issue because there is no water here, but on top of that, they were going to supply them with water so that it would actually reach them," recounted one of the residents to the journalist.
A neighbor stated that work related to passports takes place in that facility and that in the past, activities linked to currency printing were carried out there, although the journalist himself clarified that he could not independently verify these claims.
During the protest, several police officers were present, and according to collected testimonies, a general was also there. Ultimately, the construction did not continue, and the authorities promised to increase the delivery of water trucks, a promise that remained unfulfilled the following day.
The episode occurs in the context of a water crisis that left more than half a million residents of Havana without water in July, worsened by the fact that 87% of the capital's pumping system relies on the electrical grid and power outages halt the supply.
In August, a rupture in the main pipe of the Southern Basin left six municipalities without water, including Diez de Octubre, which forced the government to mobilize Army trucks to supply critical areas as a temporary solution.
The perception that military and state facilities receive preferential treatment in access to basic services has been a recurring source of tension in the municipality. Diez de Octubre has experienced months of protests: at least 24 people were detained in Luyanó in July following a demonstration against power outages and lack of water, and in Lawton, there were bouts of pot banging and trash burning on several days in that same month.
The Cataluña shelter also gathers other serious complaints. Residents describe a buildup of garbage, dirt, constant power outages, and frequent disputes over the water that arrives in trucks. Additionally, there are alleged irregularities regarding the ownership of the homes: according to the neighbors, they are not being given ownership of the properties, while individuals linked to Housing and the Government are purportedly selling spaces for around 3,500 dollars and charging another 500 for documentation.
Cuban state-run shelters have been documented as spaces of overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and corruption, where temporary housing solutions become permanent without the State addressing the living conditions of those who inhabit them.
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