Key facts
- Widespread illness, including viral hepatitis and diarrhea, is affecting Havana residents.
- Power outages, lasting over 24 hours regularly, have crippled Cuba's water infrastructure.
- Nearly 90% of the city's water supply depends on electric-powered pumps.
- Around 3.5 million people, nearly half of Cuba's population, suffer from water shortages.
- A US oil blockade imposed in January has exacerbated the blackouts.
Havana is experiencing a severe public health crisis as widespread power outages and a lack of running water cripple the city's infrastructure and lead to a surge in illnesses. Residents like Yuamilka Hechavarria, a housewife and healthcare worker, are forced to scavenge for water and cope with frequent blackouts that have lasted over 24 hours. The crumbling infrastructure, with nearly 90% of the water supply relying on electric pumps, is further strained by a US oil blockade imposed in January.
Health authorities in Cuba have issued warnings about the spread of viruses, including a strain of viral hepatitis, due to the deteriorating conditions. The US also issued a health alert, noting a significant increase in diarrheal illness across the island. Many neighborhoods regularly go without water for days or weeks, impacting basic hygiene. Hechavarria described how diarrhea has run rampant in her building, with tenants struggling to maintain cleanliness. She herself is recovering from fever and diarrhea.
Her living situation, a poorly ventilated one-room apartment shared with her son and husband, exemplifies the challenges. Thirty families in her building face similar conditions. A recent power surge damaged her refrigerator, forcing her to use it for storing medicine and non-perishables. She reuses dishwater to clean and flushes the toilet with it when water is scarce. Her husband pushes a homemade cart to a local school's water pipe, but water only flows if there is power to run the school's electric pump.
Neighbor Andres Jimenez, a 76-year-old retired metal worker, also struggles to secure water, often finding only a trickle when the power fails. Nurse Maria Elena Parlado, who works at a local clinic, stated that even the clinic lacks water, hindering her ability to wash her hands between patients. The situation highlights the pervasive impact of the infrastructure failures on daily life and public health.