Decomposing animals, rubble, graves, and sewer waters have turned the Yayabo and Bélico rivers, located in the cities of Sancti Spíritus and Santa Clara respectively, into a source of contamination that worries neighbors from both locations.
People fear contracting cholera or acute diarrheic diseases due to the river contamination, said reporters Alietser Prats and Aimara Peña to Matinoticias. Both reporters are residents from Sancti Spíritus.
People are tired of complaining to the government office for sanitation works. There are no results ever, said Alietser Prats, who went over the areas with the most dumps. Prats listened to the points of view from those who are most exposed to the dumps, since they live very close to the river.
“They say that the local authorities sometimes try to improve a little bit the image of the river, but they only do it around the colonial bridge known as Puente Yayabo, where, from time to time, tourists pass,” Aimara Peña said.
The less centric part of the river has a worse fate since authorities never go there. The neighbors are worried about the risk of contracting infectious diseases, the reporter said.
According to Peña, the people who are affected the most are the ones living in the community known as Jesús María. They are next to the most contaminated part.
When health inspectors are loaded with complaints, they go around the place to give fines, the local neighbors said. However, that attitude does not solve the problem, and it does not prevent the contamination from spreading.
The province of Sancti Spíritus has a critical hygienic situation, and frequently, there are cases of diseases such as dengue fever and cholera, which are due to the lack of hygienic epidemiologic control, Peña said.
Another area affected by the environmental contamination is the municipality of Cabaiguán, located 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) away from Sancti Spíritus.
Independent journalist, José Ramón Borges, has reported on several occasions about the existence of main sources of contamination, which are the result of the drainage of the waste from the refinery, located in the center of the town. The waste drains to areas close to the water reservoir that the people use. Borges considers that the lack of a sewer system along with the neglect from the government, keep the people in constant risk of contracting infectious diseases.
Similar scene in Santa Clara
The city of Santa Clara, located in the center of the country, offers a similar view, said reporter Yoel Bencomo.
Bélico River, which goes through the municipality, cannot be in worse condition, said the young man, who fears a rise of infectious diseases in the next couple of months, when the rain starts and there is an overflow of contaminated waters.
Everyone throws garbage, dead animals, and waste to the river, said Bencomo. He is also worried about the water waste from the hospital surroundings, since they run around the trench “that flows into the Bélico."
People fear contracting cholera or acute diarrheic diseases due to the river contamination, said reporters Alietser Prats and Aimara Peña to Matinoticias. Both reporters are residents from Sancti Spíritus.
People are tired of complaining to the government office for sanitation works. There are no results ever, said Alietser Prats, who went over the areas with the most dumps. Prats listened to the points of view from those who are most exposed to the dumps, since they live very close to the river.
“They say that the local authorities sometimes try to improve a little bit the image of the river, but they only do it around the colonial bridge known as Puente Yayabo, where, from time to time, tourists pass,” Aimara Peña said.
The less centric part of the river has a worse fate since authorities never go there. The neighbors are worried about the risk of contracting infectious diseases, the reporter said.
According to Peña, the people who are affected the most are the ones living in the community known as Jesús María. They are next to the most contaminated part.
When health inspectors are loaded with complaints, they go around the place to give fines, the local neighbors said. However, that attitude does not solve the problem, and it does not prevent the contamination from spreading.
The province of Sancti Spíritus has a critical hygienic situation, and frequently, there are cases of diseases such as dengue fever and cholera, which are due to the lack of hygienic epidemiologic control, Peña said.
Another area affected by the environmental contamination is the municipality of Cabaiguán, located 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) away from Sancti Spíritus.
Independent journalist, José Ramón Borges, has reported on several occasions about the existence of main sources of contamination, which are the result of the drainage of the waste from the refinery, located in the center of the town. The waste drains to areas close to the water reservoir that the people use. Borges considers that the lack of a sewer system along with the neglect from the government, keep the people in constant risk of contracting infectious diseases.
Similar scene in Santa Clara
The city of Santa Clara, located in the center of the country, offers a similar view, said reporter Yoel Bencomo.
Bélico River, which goes through the municipality, cannot be in worse condition, said the young man, who fears a rise of infectious diseases in the next couple of months, when the rain starts and there is an overflow of contaminated waters.
Everyone throws garbage, dead animals, and waste to the river, said Bencomo. He is also worried about the water waste from the hospital surroundings, since they run around the trench “that flows into the Bélico."
