Residents Demand Water in Havana's Centro Neighborhood Protest

On Wednesday night, a spontaneous protest erupted at the intersection of Águila and Monte streets in Havana's Centro district. Frustrated by more than a month without access to running water, local residents took to the streets demanding the restoration of their water supply.

Lázaro Díaz Carmona, a social media user, live-streamed the unfolding scene as community members gathered with empty bottles, buckets, and tanks. They blocked traffic, insisting on a response from the authorities. Shouting "We want water!", the crowd expressed their exasperation with a situation they deem unbearable. The crisis is particularly severe for vulnerable groups like children, the sick, and pregnant women, heightening the public health emergency.

"This is intolerable; we’ve been without water for over a month with no solution in sight," residents lamented. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, many chose not to participate out of fear of government retaliation, a common sentiment in Cuba.

Shortly after the protest gained traction online, State Security agents arrived to disperse the crowd, claiming that "protests solve nothing." Not long after, the neighborhood's representative and several local leaders appeared, urging residents to end their demonstration. They assured the crowd that "immediate solutions" would be sought.

However, skepticism runs deep among the residents, who view these assurances as empty promises. Similar protests have occurred in Centro Havana with no resolution to the ongoing water crisis. "They’ve told us this many times, yet we still have no water," another neighbor remarked.

This protest highlights the growing social discontent caused by the breakdown of basic services in Cuba’s capital. Despite the fear of repression, desperation is increasingly forcing people to speak out.