The province of Guantánamo has gone several days without receiving state fuel, and its authorities are considering purchasing diesel and gasoline from small and medium-sized enterprises (mipymes) and other non-state economic actors to sustain essential services, as was acknowledged during the daily meeting on the vitality of the operational, economic, and social situation in the territory.
The deficit directly affects public health services, education, transportation, communications, and water pumping, acknowledged a report from the broadcaster Radio Guantánamo this Thursday.
The shortage of diesel has also begun to disrupt the movement of food and basic resources to and within the province.
More than 140 tons of rice and 51 tons of beans unloaded at the port of Santiago de Cuba remain unable to be transported to Guantánamo due to a lack of fuel. Some of the materials intended for the current school year have also been unable to reach educational institutions.
In response to the issue, Yoel Pérez García, the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in Guantánamo, urged companies, agencies, and local governments to seek fuel from small and medium-sized enterprises and other non-state actors that import diesel and gasoline.
The leader presented this possibility as part of the economic transformations approved by the government and the municipal autonomy. However, this situation reveals a difficult reality to conceal: in order to keep services running that depend on state resources, provincial authorities are now considering turning to private companies capable of importing the fuel that is not arriving through official channels.
The crisis adds to other recent episodes of deterioration in basic services. At the end of August, urban transportation was suspended in communities such as Paraguay and Maqueisito due to a lack of fuel, while garbage collection had to be carried out with wheelbarrows and animal traction. In Río Seco, mango harvests were also lost due to a lack of collection means.
The impact also extends to the water supply. In June, some areas of Guantánamo faced distribution cycles of up to 25 days, while it was reported that the delegation of Hydraulic Resources in Guantánamo was considering the use of horse-drawn carts to distribute water to the population in case fuel completely ran out.
The provincial meeting also addressed other pending issues, including the insufficient cash collection at bank branches, failures in the collection and delivery of milk to the industry, the commercial circulation plan, and hydraulic investments.
This is compounded by the need to expedite the repair of electrical damage and the replacement of transformers, an issue highlighted in all municipalities of Guantánamo.
The crisis is not new in Guantánamo. At the end of August, urban transport was suspended in communities such as Paraguay and Maqueisito due to a lack of fuel, garbage collection was done with wheelbarrows and animal traction, and mango crops were lost in Río Seco due to the absence of harvesting means.
The use of small and medium-sized enterprises (mipymes) as diesel suppliers is part of a policy approved in February, when the government authorized mipymes to import fuel from abroad through state importers.
Since then, fuel purchases from the United States have surged, totaling 156.8 million dollars between January and July, with July being a record month at 61.1 million.
It is paradoxical that authorities in the easternmost province of Cuba recently inaugurated the El Algarrobo solar photovoltaic park, which was showcased as an energy advancement, yet does not address the reliance on diesel for transportation, pumping, and logistics.
Related videos:
Filed under: