More than 93,000 Santiago residents lose water after Zona Alta main breaks

More than 93,000 Santiago de Cuba residents lost water service because of a failure in the so-called number five Zona Alta main. Water and sewer company Aguas Santiago said the break occurred early Thursday and affects 13 neighborhoods and circuits. The company estimates that resolving the damage will require no more than 48 hours because of the work's technical difficulty.

The problem was detected around 1:30 a.m. at Federico Rey Avenue and First Street. The affected point is a 900-millimeter-diameter pipe, so crews must work on high-capacity infrastructure. The 48-hour forecast is the maximum announced by the company, which said it would try to shorten the work time.

The suspension affects C/U Antonio Maceo, Vista Alegre Bajo Este and Pastorita, Ampliación Terrazas, Sueño–Avenida Américas, Portuondo–Zamorana, Flores Bajo, Vista Hermosa, Mariana de la Torre Alto Parte Baja, Asunción–Municipal, Villalón–Flores Alto, Dessy Zona Alta y Media, Dessy Zona Baja–Chicharrones and Veguita de Galo Alto. Micro 1A and Van Van repumping stations also went out of service, according to Aguas Santiago.

The new interruption follows other breaks in the province's water network this year. In July, two consecutive failures affected the Northwest system's main line and carried similar repair estimates. A month earlier, company managers acknowledged delays of 39 to 48 days in areas including El Cristo, Altamira and San Juan-Sevilla, worsened by power cuts stopping repumping stations.

Supply problems have also been reported outside the provincial capital, with prolonged interruptions in Songo-La Maya and Palma Soriano. The National Institute of Hydraulic Resources said October 27 that 2.14 million people in Cuba had total or partial disruption to water access. More than 85 percent of pumping stations depend on electricity. Aguas Santiago provided telephone numbers 628010 and 620686 for information about the break.