In a rural area of Santiago de Cuba, where access to potable water remains a significant challenge, a woman successfully filled her cistern using jars during recent rains, ahead of Hurricane Melissa. This scenario highlights the harsh everyday reality faced by many Cubans.
The moment was captured on video by Father Leandro NaunHung, who was visiting the area. He shared the proud testimony of the local woman who managed to store enough water.
"Did you get a lot of water for the farm, did you fill the cistern? You're happy with what you managed, then," the priest is heard saying, to which the woman replies with laughter, "I have enough water."
Expressing a mix of relief and resignation, the woman described her makeshift method for collecting rainwater.
"The water would fall, and that's how it filled up. I removed the zinc sheet and let it fall again. I used my jar, patiently, to fill that entire cistern because it was without water," she explained, showing the tanks and containers she used for the task.
She placed a piece of zinc to gather water from the roof. The water then flowed into a tank, from which she used jars to transport it through a hose leading to the cistern.
In the video, she details how she repeated the process, carrying jars, emptying tanks, and refilling them until the cistern overflowed.
"The rain caught me by surprise; I thought it would stop, but I kept going, little by little, until it filled up," she recounted.
While laughing, she also mentioned the daily struggles. "Some plants and the mosquitoes are causing trouble, indeed," she said, as the priest humorously celebrated her efforts, "Ah, we can make soup now."
The testimony, widely shared on social media, underscores the precarious access to water in eastern Cuba's rural areas, where many families rely on rain or makeshift solutions to meet basic needs.
The video was recorded days before Hurricane Melissa, a category 4 storm, approached eastern Cuba, where it's expected to bring heavy rains and local flooding.
For many residents, this rain—despite its dangers—also provides a temporary opportunity to store much-needed water that is otherwise scarce for weeks.
Cuba's water crisis continues to reveal its most critical aspects, with mounting complaints from various provinces. In Matanzas, locals have called the costly and irregular water supply service a "great scam," as it rarely reaches homes despite payments.
Families claim that despite the payments, they still don't receive water through the network and must resort to private solutions or informal resale to meet basic needs.
In the capital, a broken valve has turned a Havana corner into a permanent river, a symbol of waste contrasting with the scarcity suffered by other city areas.
Residents report that for months, the water has been lost without authorities offering a definitive repair, while thousands continue to store water in buckets and tanks due to prolonged service cuts.
In the eastern part of the country, the situation is no different. In Holguín, entire communities have gone over five months without running water, forcing neighbors to improvise rainwater collection systems or travel long distances to obtain a few liters.
Testimonies agree on the lack of concrete responses from local authorities, who attribute the problems to breakdowns and droughts without providing sustainable solutions.
Understanding Cuba's Water Crisis
What challenges do rural areas in Cuba face regarding water access?
Rural areas in Cuba often experience significant challenges in accessing potable water, frequently relying on rainwater collection and improvised solutions due to inadequate infrastructure and service delivery.
How do Cuban families cope with water shortages?
Cuban families often turn to rainwater collection, private solutions, or informal resale markets to cope with water shortages, as the official supply is irregular and insufficient.
What impact does infrastructure failure have on Cuban water supply?
Infrastructure failures, such as broken valves, lead to significant water loss and exacerbate the scarcity of water in urban areas, contrasting with the abundance of wasted water in some locations.