HAVANA, July 31 (Vicente Escobal, Lux InfoPress) – According to projections by the National Weather Service, the severe drought that has been affecting the island's eastern provinces is likely to continue.
The forecast states that conditions in the atmosphere as well as other factors related to specific conditions in the Caribbeean basin contribute to a worsening of the situation.
Reports from the eastern provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguín and Granma reveal that the most severe damage has been registered in agriculture and livestock Thousands of head of cattle show signs of advanced deterioration. At the end of June the provinces of Holguín,
Granma and Las Tunas reported close to 10,000 head dead and 52,000 relocated to areas with better conditions.
Hundreds of hectares in crops have been lost, especially in tobacco and coffee, but most affected have been the residents of these provinces, who are satisfying their needs with standing water lacking the most elementary sanitary conditions. There have been numerous reports of acute diarrhea and
other infectious diseases, especially in children and older people. The lack of medications rounds out the picture, and the authorities have not been able to find solutions.
In more than 100 settlements, water is supplied with tankers, and the reservoirs are presently at 10% of capacity. While not ignoring the wisdom of scientists and meteorologists, residents think more in terms of man than in terms of the environment. The aqueducts meant to supply water do not
have enough capacity; the growth of the population has not been matched by construction of new infrastructure to guarantee the availability of a steady water supply.
The water reserves are not the only thing that's exhausted; the human effort to extract water from a semi-dried-up well are exhausting as well. Many residents have left the area. The town of Guasimilla, in Granma province, is almost a ghost town; most of its residents have left.
Versión original en español
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