What started as a video to showcase the work of a well-drilling brigade in Manzanillo, with a distinctly promotional tone, ended up sparking an intense debate on social media about the physical effort and the conditions under which such labor is still carried out in Cuba.
The images, shared in the group Facebook «REVOLICO CAMPECHUELA 2026», by the user Reynier Moreno, show several men manually drilling a well 36 meters deep, almost entirely by hand and without machinery.
"Here you can see the team together. The best of all the pit crews in all of Manzanillo. The best results," comments one of the members.
The result, as he explains, was "a very deep well of 36 meters," where they installed a submersible pump.
The scene generated admiration for the workers' efforts, but also numerous criticisms regarding the fact that a task of this nature has to be carried out with such rudimentary methods.
"By hand, brutally. That's destroying the body," commented a user.
"They end up without arms and without a spine," warned another.
A third internet user summarized one of the recurring questions: "Without diminishing the tremendous physical effort, it's incredible that in 2026 we have to resort to this when there are machines available."
Others, on the other hand, highlighted the work ethic of the well diggers. "So they can say later that Cubans are lazy," wrote one user.
Among the comments, there were even individuals with experience in that trade. A well driller from Matanzas stated that he usually works on boreholes ranging from 14 to 20 meters, while others pointed out that there are manual methods that incorporate tripods, pulleys, or ropes to reduce some of the physical effort.
Wells in the Face of Water Shortages in Cuba
Although the video does not specify that the well was built in direct response to a disruption in public service, the images appear at a time marked by a serious water supply crisis in Cuba.
In May, the authorities themselves recognized that about 2.7 million Cubans were experiencing issues with access to drinking water.
The search for alternative sources has become a solution for many families, as occurred in Matanzas, a province where the opening of dozens of wells in yards and sidewalks has been documented due to the water shortage.
In August, a Cuban woman restored an old handcrafted well and documented the entire process on social media, where the images garnered hundreds of thousands of views.
The crisis has also hit Havana hard. The number of people affected exceeded half a million during the summer, amidst breakdowns, blackouts, and issues in the distribution networks.
Now, images of these well diggers working down to 36 meters below ground level once again draw attention to a practice that combines skilled craftsmanship, physical endurance, and artisanal methods.
"Men of sacrifice," wrote one of the users upon seeing them work.
For many of those who commented on the video, however, the astonishment lay not only in having reached such depths but also in how they had to do it: practically by hand, in the year 2026.
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