The capital of Pinar del Río is facing a water crisis of alarming proportions: seven malfunctioning pumping units across its three main lines, combined with blackouts lasting over 16 hours a day, have left the city practically without drinking water, with communities going without piped supply for periods ranging from 67 days to over three months.
Roberto Capote Amador, head of Operations for the Base Business Unit of Aqueduct and Sewage for the municipality, acknowledged the seriousness of the situation in statements to Radio Guamá on Saturday: "The situation with the water supply to the city of Pinar del Río remains very tense. The same broken equipment remains: two in the 20-inch pipeline, three in the 30-inch pipeline, and two in the 36-inch pipeline."
The 30-inch pipeline—the backbone of the system supplying over 60% of the population—operates with only half of its equipment, which drastically reduces the pumping pressures to the higher areas of the city.
The area known as Anillo 1 illustrates the paradox of collapse: there is water accumulated, but it cannot be distributed due to a lack of electricity. "Practically no water is being pumped because of the lack of energy; the equipment is reaching a water level that could be supplied to some areas, yet it has not been possible due to the power situation," explained Capote Amador.
The pumping stations remained without power from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. the following day for two consecutive days, equally affecting all three pipelines. The Guamá dam, another key source of the system, is also shut down due to the outages and is additionally experiencing a malfunction in its outlet.
The alternative distribution via tanker trucks does not provide real relief to the residents. Capote Amador confirmed that the available fuel "only suffices for hospitals, primarily": the Pediatric Hospital, the Psychiatric Hospital, the Cuatro Viñales Nursing Home, the Tercer Congreso, and the Abel Santamaría receive priority, while residential areas are left without coverage.
This situation is not new. Residents of Calle Real in Pinar del Río reported over 50 days without water at the beginning of October, and areas surrounding the pediatric hospital reported up to 75 days without service. By the end of September, approximately 159,171 people in the province were facing supply issues, and none of the municipal capitals had pump stations that were electrically protected.
The Communist Party acknowledged in September that the same problems were recurring without a sustained solution, while the national electricity deficit on Saturday exceeded 2,042 MW, with a mere availability of 758 MW against a demand of 2,800 MW.
The collapse in Pinar del Río is an amplified reflection of a national crisis: the regime itself admitted that 2.7 million Cubans —approximately 35% of the population connected to state networks— are experiencing difficulties in accessing drinking water, according to data from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources released by the EFE agency.
The authorities did not provide a repair schedule or concrete solutions. Capote Amador summarized the situation with a phrase that reflects institutional impotence: "We are waiting for some response, to see if there will be any improvement in the electrical situation. We still don't know if any pumping equipment will be brought in."
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