Sputnik

The newspaper La Jornada
Thursday, September 5, 2024, p. 26

Havana. More than 600,000 people in Cuba are suffering from water supply problems due to the economic crisis on the island, specialists from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH) confirmed on Wednesday.

The complex situation affects more than 600 thousand clients in the countrysaid José Antonio Hernández, president of the Water and Sanitation Business Group, belonging to the INRH, quoted by the government portal CubaYes.

The main causes of the shortage include the breakdown of a significant amount of pumping equipment and the precarious situation of the National Electric Power System, the official said.

Regarding the electrical service, Hernandez explained that sometimes the low availability or instability of the electrical current prevents the protection of the circuits of the water supply equipment.

In addition, sudden starts and stops due to blackouts, as well as variations in voltage and frequency of energy systems cause havoc, he added.

According to information provided by Hernández, there are more than 30 thousand customers without service in several provinces, including Pinar del Río and Artemisa (west), Villa Clara and Cienfuegos (center) and Santiago de Cuba, Granma and Holguín (east), while in Havana the number of those affected exceeds 130 thousand.

According to the leader, there are currently some resources available for the repair of the machinery, in order to respond as quickly as possible to the demands.