The political situation in Cuba

Cuba's energy crisis becomes a water crisis: "Every liter counts"

The ongoing energy crisis in Cuba has not only led to widespread power outages and fuel shortages. It has also become much harder to get hold of drinking water, reports The Guardian.

61-year-old Mirella Martinez tells how she has to go to her daughter's workplace three times a day to collect water in plastic containers. Her apartment has not had reliable running water for almost three years.

- This water is used for everything. We count every liter.

Around three million Cubans have unreliable access to water, according to local authorities. Up to 70 percent of the water in Havana disappears through leaks before it can reach the city's households. 

Havana resident waiting for power: “This is not living”

Cuba's energy crisis continues, and residents describe electricity and water as luxuries. The Guardian reports.

Dhayamis Hernández Díaz, who lives in central Havana, says she is exhausted. She describes how her family drops everything as soon as the power comes back on, which is sometimes in the middle of the night, to fill the water tank, cook food and charge their phones.

– This is not living. We are just waiting for the power to come back on, she says.