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FROM
CUBA
Residents charge negligence in water shortage
in Cuba
HAVANA, Cuba, September 1 (Reinaldo Cosano
Alén / www.cubanet.org) - Areas of
Guanabo, a beach community about 20 miles
east of Havana, have been without running
water for two months, and residents charge
that negligence of aqueduct employees is
the cause.
"The pump's motor shaft was poorly
placed and fastened, and fell into the supply
well," said local resident María
Elena Mir.
That was only the beginning, said Mir.
Authorities brought in three cranes, at
considerable expense, to try to fish out
the shaft, but that proved impossible. As
a result, she said, the well had to be sealed
and another drilled nearby came up dry.
Mir said Elizabeth Domínguez, the
local government representative, "told
us that by the end of September or into
October the problem will be solved when
a new pump that has been purchased arrives".
"The worst of it is the accident happened
in summer, when we need the most water,"
said another resident.
An older resident pointed out that the
well that was sealed had been built when
Guanabo was first developed as a tourist
and beach community, 101 years ago. It always
provided plenty of water, even if brackish,
the man said, to the year-round population
and to an estimated 120,000 additional visitors
during the summer months.
Versión
original en español
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