A huge sinkhole at the intersection of Amenidad and Cruz del Padre, in the Havana municipality of Cerro, has become a trap for those attempting to cross on foot, as documented by the independent media 14ymedio this Saturday.
The report describes an opening in the pavement through which rainwater accumulates and falls like a waterfall, carrying along the trash that has accumulated on the street.
Around the hole, the sewer grates are misaligned, the asphalt is torn up, and debris is present at the edges.
The images show several pedestrians looking for a way to cross the roadway, which has turned into a succession of puddles and potholes: a woman lifts her shopping cart to navigate through the flooded area while other passersby are trying to figure out where to place their feet without falling into the water.
There has been no information on when the sinkhole was opened, nor is there, so far, any announcement regarding repairs or an official response on the matter.
The documented issue adds to a long list of similar problems in the same municipality. In June 2024, a motorcycle and a car fell into a water-covered crater at the intersection of Infanta and Ayestarán, also in Cerro. Months earlier, in April of that year, another gigantic pothole in the municipality had been open for about five years without any action from the authorities and was so large that it blocked the passage of larger vehicles.
The deterioration of Havana's drainage system has structural roots: the main sewer network was built between 1908 and 1914 for a city of about 600,000 inhabitants, and today it must accommodate nearly two million people with approximately 1,755 kilometers of pipes described as largely outdated.
In July 2026, heavy rains and blocked sewers created a river of dirty water in Cuatro Caminos, in Centro Habana. Just nine days before the report from Cerro, a three-year-old boy died after falling into a sewage pit in the Alamar area, with no official statement issued by any authority.
In February 2025, Jonathan Oliva, aged 13, was swept away by an open sewer during flooding in Luyanó; his body was found the following day after the incident.
The sewage system in Havana, a centuries-old problem, particularly affects the municipalities of Cerro, Centro Habana, La Habana Vieja, Diez de Octubre, and Plaza de la Revolución, which concentrate the main network and serve approximately 69% of the capital's population.
"In Amenidad and Cruz del Padre, meanwhile, the water falls into the sinkhole, among waste, displaced grates, and broken pavement edges. Just a few steps away, daily life tries to go on as if resigning itself to the fact that this and other disasters are an unavoidable part of normality," concludes 14ymedio in its report.
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