Cuba urged its citizens Monday to cut back on water use, announcing that new measures will be necessary to fight a long-lasting dry spell.
HAVANA — Cuba urged its citizens Monday to cut back on water use, announcing that new measures will be necessary to fight a long-lasting dry spell.
Last year, the island received only 69 percent of average rainfall, making 2004 the worst year for rain since 1901, according to Granma, the Communist Party daily newspaper.
In January, the island received half its average rainfall for that month, prompting authorities to prepare for the possibility that 2005 will be another dry year, the newspaper said.
Jorge Aspiolea, president of Cuba's National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, told Granma that the government has invested more than $20 million in recent months to improve water infrastructure. But he also said it was crucial for the public to start conserving water immediately.
Of 235 reservoirs across the island, 114 contain less than 25 percent of their capacity, Aspiolea said. Forty-one of those 114 have dried up and are out of use.
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Eastern provinces are the most severely affected, as reservoirs in Camaguey are only 14 percent full, and those in Las Tunas, Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus and Granma contain less than 30 percent, he said.
Only Pinar del Rio, Cienfuegos and Isla de la Juventud are at 50 percent capacity, he said.
Havana, the island's biggest city, is among the places that will be most affected by the water shortage, the newspaper said. More than 100,000 residents receive their supply via water trucks known locally as "pipas."
Source: Associated Press
