Residents of San Juan y Martínez in Pinar del Río and those from the center of Songo-La Maya in Santiago de Cuba reported this week periods of three to four months without access to water from the aqueduct networks, according to a report by journalist Ivette Pacheco published in Martí Noticias.
In the La Estrella area of the municipality of San Juan y Martínez, a resident identified as Michel Valladares stated that families in the area have gone over four months without any supply in their homes.
According to their testimony, neighbors boil rainwater for drinking and cooking because they cannot afford the cost of private water trucks, which range between 15,000 and 20,000 Cuban pesos, nor the price of 200-liter tanks, which are sold for between 1,000 and 1,200 pesos.
Valladares also pointed out alleged irregularities in the local management of the aqueduct and potential illegal connections to the main network that could reduce flow pressure, accusations that have not been independently verified.
From the eastern part of the country, the activist and independent journalist Yadira Serrano reported that in the center of Songo-La Maya, shortages extend for three to four months, with communities facing issues lasting up to a year without regular service.
Serrano explained that residents turn to artisanal wells or pay between 1,000 and 1,500 pesos per tank to independent sellers, while the water trucks can cost as much as 15,000 pesos, amounts far above the average state salaries.
In the province of Granma, activist Yurisnel Domenech reported from Media Luna that several areas of the locality have gone between five and six days without access to the resource, in sectors that previously had service.
The situation in Pinar del Río has been experiencing a documented deterioration for several months. By mid-October, seven malfunctioning pumping units in the main pipelines of the provincial capital and power outages exceeding 16 hours a day have left entire communities without water supply for periods ranging from 67 days to more than three months.
In Songo-La Maya, the situation is equally dire: in May 2026, residents reported more than 50 consecutive hours without electricity or water, and in September local authorities acknowledged that the municipality's pumping equipment had been out of order since the beginning of the year.
The link between the water crisis and power outages is direct: the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources acknowledged that more than 85% of the country's pumping stations rely on the National Electric System to operate, and that power cuts and equipment failures account for 88% of the causes of supply collapse.
The stations require 10 to 12 continuous hours of electricity to pressurize the network, a condition that is impossible to meet with the current blackout schedules.
The state agency admitted that around 2.5 million people —32% of customers connected to public networks— are experiencing issues with drinking water service across the country, a figure that the UN (OCHA) estimated in September 2026 could reach 3.5 million affected individuals.
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