Cuba's increasing water shortages are exacerbating tensions among the population , including in the capital, Havana, where hundreds of thousands of residents are already suffering from food, fuel and electricity shortages. According to official figures, more than 600,000 people - more than 1 in 20 citizens of the Caribbean island with a population of 10 million - are affected by water supply problems, reports Reuters.
Havana is the hardest hit by the water shortage, but most of the country's largest cities also report more than 30,000 consumers without access to water, the government announced. The problems are due to crumbling infrastructure and chronic fuel shortages - consequences of the ongoing economic crisis that is suffocating the country and leaving it on the brink of bankruptcy.
"All the streets are full of leaking pipes, clean water is flowing everywhere, but not in our homes," said 32-year-old Raquel Triminho, a resident of Havana.
The worst part is that there are no quick fixes. Parts for aging water infrastructure, such as pipes and pumps, are in short supply. Also, without sufficient fuel and transportation, even emergency water supply through tankers is limited, residents reported. Frequent power outages further aggravate the situation.
Isolated protests have broken out in some areas as residents lose patience in the midst of the tropical summer heat. Cuba is in one of its worst social and economic crises since Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, which has led to a mass migration of Cubans over the past two years.
This combined crisis includes the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased US sanctions, as well as the inefficient state-dominated business model.