Governor of Guantánamo Criticizes City Officials Over Waste Management and Neglect

Guantánamo's governor, Alis Azahares, has reprimanded the municipal mayor and the Communal Services Company for the unchecked proliferation of waste sites and the neglect of tree pruning and landscaping along the city's main roads. This criticism was reported on Wednesday by Radio Guantánamo.

The rebuke occurred during a meeting known as the Vitality Session, held at the headquarters of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party. Azahares convened with local leaders, administrative officials, and political figures to address these issues.

According to the report, the governor highlighted that the buildup of trash and the deterioration of urban aesthetics are contributing to the spread of biological vectors. This concern is particularly pressing in a province that has been grappling with an unresolved sanitation crisis for several months.

Azahares's admonition underscores a recognized crisis that the authorities have yet to resolve. In late August, Yoel Pérez García, the first secretary of the Communist Party in the province, emphasized that "the collection of solid waste should be a collaborative effort involving all agencies, organizations, community groups, and the general public."

Throughout 2026, the situation regarding waste collection in this eastern region has worsened. Due to a shortage of fuel for operating specialized waste collection equipment, authorities have had to depend on the help of cart drivers and animal-drawn means across various local districts in the city.

This accumulation of waste has been directly linked to the rise of dengue fever in the province. In September, three municipalities — Imías, Baracoa, and Guantánamo — were actively transmitting the virus, with simultaneous circulation of serotypes two, three, and four.

In the same meeting, Azahares assessed the potable water supply in the municipalities of Manuel Tames, San Antonio del Sur, and Maisí, which have been experiencing disruptions for over a week in their water systems.

Lexis Suárez, the Provincial Director of the Water and Sewerage Company, reported progress in the areas of El Corojo and Ciro Frías but acknowledged delays in El Maquey and Boquerón due to breakdowns in pipelines, valves, connections, and hydraulic pumps. Suárez also noted the availability of sodium hypochlorite in six municipalities, enough to last more than 20 days.

Another topic on the agenda was the payment to retirees and pensioners. The governor urged the strengthening of payment mechanisms through non-state economic actors and local councils.

Recently, it was revealed that the provincial government signed 1,056 contracts with economic entities to provide cash payments to 18,344 retirees, which accounts for 37% of the province's pensioners.

Rafael Wilson, the General Director of Public Health, warned at the same meeting about the increase in pregnancies among women of risk age, the presence of chronic diseases in pregnant women, and inadequate maternal nutrition as factors contributing to infant mortality in the province, which reached 14 per 1,000 live births by the end of August, surpassing the national average of 9.9.