Cubans dig wells as water service deteriorates
Millions of people on the island lack running water at home, while power outages further reduce supply.
Cuba's water shortage has led residents to dig wells for supply amid service interruptions affecting homes. The situation leaves 2.7 million people without water at home. It combines difficulty accessing water with further reductions during prolonged power outages.
Martínez told AFP that he operates a business in Matanzas province, one of the areas hardest hit by the shortage, about 100 kilometers east of Havana. His case places the problem outside the capital and within a territory identified as particularly affected.
Official figures put the impact near 29 percent of the island's 9.4 million residents. That percentage describes a nationwide problem, while the number without water at home expresses its household dimension. The shortage is also another consequence of the country's severe economic crisis.
Electricity cuts affect water because electric turbines power most pumping systems. During prolonged outages, pumping capacity falls and access to an already scarce service narrows further. The power crisis therefore adds pressure to water supplies.
The picture combines households without service, a substantial share of the population affected and pumping difficulties tied to electricity. Matanzas provides a local example, while official figures show national scale. Digging wells has emerged as one response by Cubans who need water amid shortages.