In spite all of the impressive and commendable accomplishments of Fidel's Revolution like the free education, healthcare, longevity, voting (even when there is only one candidate nominated for every single high post in the government), etc., Cubans still have no water.

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A press release titled " The truths of Cuba " published by Granma at the beginning of the year states in part:

"The truth about Cuba is the country where the human being is the most valuable: a life expectancy at birth of 77.9 years on average; coverage of free healthcare for all his people; an infant mortality rate of 4.9 per thousand live births, figure that it exceeds U.S. standards and is the lowest on the continent, slightly lower than the Canada; an entire population literate and with full access to all levels of education for free; 96% of participation in the general elections of 2008, a democratic process of discussion of the economic and social guidelines, prior to the 6th Congress of the party."

And no water.   In spite all of the impressive and commendable accomplishments of Fidel's Revolution like the free education, healthcare, longevity, voting (even when there is only a single candidate 'nominated' for every single high post in the government), etc., Cubans still have no water.  

 Another article published by the government's official website, cubadebate.cu, under the title "Aguaaaaaa"" reveals that more than one million citizens in Havana are affected by lack of water.   A situation which required service schedules to be adjusted and the water distribution cycles to be lengthened.   More than 86,000 people receive their water via trucks ("pipas" in the Cuban vernacular).  

 The article can be found here:  

http://www.cubadebate.cu/opinion/2011/06/12/aguaaaaaa/

 A more recent article, still on the subject of water, and published by the same website, states in part:

  "More than 7 decades of use cause 50% of the water pumped through the existing system of hundredths of kilometers of pipes to be lost."

[Note to self:   Damn, apparently, Batista, the mafia, the CIA and the marines built one hell of a water system that endured use and abuse"and the embargo, for 70 years.]

The comments allowed to be posted by "management' following the article tell the story more eloquently than all the above articles put together.   One poster by the screenname of Aficionado1992 wrote :

  "This topic is of great concern.   On one hand, the system of distribution is a disaster.   On the other, people do not have the necessary resources to properly maintain the system inside their homes.   Please make some serious, professional and well executed investments in the water distribution systems and guarantee the stable and affordable prices (without subsidies but not at the outrageous and unaffordable prices they are now) of faucets, pipes and other accessories necessary to make repairs which meet a minimum standard of quality."

  A second commenter by the name of MISHA said :

 "The problem with the drought only affects the people.   I have seen several pipas (water trucks) go into the nearby hotel every day.   By the way, they are quite noisy and go by at all times of the day and night.   However, if an apartment building or a residential neighborhood has no water, we must perform miracles in order to get them to deliver water to us."

 The last poster, by the name of korfe, stated :

 "Draught?   No.   Waste?   Plenty of it.   There are leaks all over the city and they can't even perform repairs that will last.   And let's not blame the lack of materials needed for the repairs.   While we can't find materials at the regular stores (where the prices are set in Cuban pesos), the new state stores (where the prices are set in Convertible Pesos or currency converted from US Dollars), have plenty of them but at prices that can't be paid by the average worker because the average price of a piece of pipe or hose is the equivalent of a month's salary.   However, it would be beneficial to the government to make such an investment as it would save a great deal of water and resources.   With the money they save, they can afford to fix all the leaks in the pipes so that the water is not wasted along the way.   Think about it."

 The article and comments can be found here:  

  http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2012/04/20/la-habana-intenta-aplacar-los-efectos-de-la-sequia/

 Yet another article published by cubadebate under the title "We Waste Too Much Water in Cuba " officially summarizes the situation as follows:

  "Every year, Cuba loses 1,011 millions of cubic meters of water, the equivalent of the Zaza reservoir -- the biggest on the island -- at full capacity.   The most disturbing part about the loss of our water resources is the immense waste which amounts to 16% (279 million cubic meters) which leak out of the pipes en transit while another 349 million or 20%, leak out once they reach the aqueducts.   383 million cubic meters of water are wasted in the installations between houses alone, a phenomenon manifested in all the provinces and municipalities and due to the culture of waste rampant throughout the country."

  The article can be read here:

  http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2012/09/19/en-cuba-se-pierde-demasiada-agua/

Sheesh"and here I was thinking that the CIA had sabotaged Cuba 's public water system for sure.     

So, while the population of Cuba suffers and must survive on rations of a couple of buckets of water per day for drinking, flushing the toilet, bathing, cooking, washing the dishes, cleaning and doing laundry, cubadebate also reports that the number of tourists to the island is expected to increase to 2.9 million in 2012.   The announcement quotes Xiomara Martínez, Viceminister of Tourism, boasting with pride that Cuba has approximately 58,000 hotel rooms ready to welcome tourists with plans to develop the infrastructure of the hotels to build another 10,000 rooms between 2013 and 2016.   She that "the Cuban authorities pay meticulous attention to the development of all areas devoted to tourism including their biodiversity."

She is quick to clarify that "the US blockade against her country is a major obstacle in attracting high class tourists who would arrive at the ports by cruise liners, etc.   However, she added, Cuba has succeeded in establishing many channels to promote and develop its tourist products."

But, of course"it's the embargo, stupid!   You know that I knew that the hand of the imperialist Yanki pigs was somewhere in there, hidden in plain sight, meddling with Cuba 's water system, causing all the leaks, poking holes in the pipes and driving the cost of materials up in all the state-owned, dollar-only stores while causing shortages in the others.   But I admit I was wrong, it wasn't the CIA that sabotaged Cuba 's water system, it was the embargo that did it after all.   For sure.  

However, the story doesn't end there.   As we Cubans say " como son las cosas cuando son del alma" (as are all things which come from the soul), t he truths of Cuba can be found in the most unexpected places and in the most mundane ways.   Often times, the truth is found not in what is said but, rather, in what is not said.   For example, here's this little gem published by cubadebate at the beginning of the year:  

  " Havana Aqueduct To Be Repaired With Help From Kuwait "

 http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2012/05/02/rehabilitaran-red-acueducto-de-la-habana-con-apoyo-kuwaiti/

 Help from who?   Kuwait you said?   The US good pal/neo-colony in the Middle East that had to be liberated from Saddam Hussein , Kuwait ?   Corrupt, imperialist, totalitarian, subordinated to the empire, natural-enemy of Socialism , Kuwait ?   That Kuwait ?   Yessir, that Kuwait !  

 According to the above article, this is the third such project that Kuwait and Cuba embark on together inside the island.   Yet, the people of Cuba have no water and no sewer system.   I do endeavor to point out, however, that the 2.9 million tourists who visited Cuba in 2012 and stayed in the 58,000 rooms located in the myriad of luxury hotels that now litter the island from coast to coast sure did have running water and flushing toilets and a brand new sewer system in each resort complete with water fountains, Jacuzzis and swimming pools (as many as three each).   So I just can't help but wonder if Kuwait was the one that built all the modern water and sewer systems for those tourist resorts where Cubans in the island are not permitted to vacation, because of the embargo, of course.   When it's all said and done, the Cuban people don't seem to be the most valuable human beings after all.   So that, at the end of the day, they are left out in the heat screaming "Aguaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"  

PS:        On 12/22/12 , the Cuban government announced a price increase for water.    According to Inés María Chapman, President of INRH (National Institute of Hydraulic Resources), "each individual will pay a corresponding tariff in order to develop a policy of national savings."    It is not clear whether the increase would apply also to the water carried in buckets, pails and plastic jugs.   And with that announcement, the government wishes the people of Cuba a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Authors Bio:
"I am driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did." George W. Bush, Sharm el-Sheikh August 2003

Thank god he's gone!