Accessibility links

Breaking News

Pollution in more than 250 rivers in Cuba


Guanímar River
Guanímar River

There have been warnings of the presence of bacteria posing a potential risk for the occurrence of diseases.

The contamination of over two hundred and fifty rivers and tributaries has caused high incidences of digestive diseases in most cities on the island.

Forty-two people died in Cuba in 2012 from digestive diseases. According to data reported by public health authorities, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment and the Water Resources Institute at the last session of Cuba's National Assembly, the contamination is affecting millions of people.

Scores of people have been affected in the eastern part of the country; 14 of them sick with cholera. Another 18 have been reported ill in Havana from ingesting water coming from the rivers that feed into the aqueducts belonging to the Water and Sewerage Company, known as “Aguas de La Habana.”

The Almendares River
The Almendares River
According to the government authorities, only the Almendares River is treated, but without substantive results. The situation in the area is such that the neighbors, who are in the habit of making light of their problems, now say that local councilman Victor Morales, has been renamed, "the delegate of the water."

Efforts to clean up the Quibú river in Havana, one of the most polluted in Cuba, fail to go beyond the initiative of students and volunteers, led by members of the musical group, Cubans in the Network. Meanwhile, the Quibú’s current drags dead animals, rotten food, bottles and cans downstream as garbage continues to gather along its banks.

Standing water is among the causes of the spread of digestive diseases.
Standing water is among the causes of the spread of digestive diseases.
The president of the Institute for Water Resources, Ines Chapman, warned of the presence thermotolerant fecal coliform (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus) above permissible levels in almost all the samples analyzed in their laboratories. In addition, pseudomonas appeared--another opportunistic pathogen, causing a variety of afflictions.

These bacteria pose a potential risk for the occurrence of waterborne diseases: amebiasis, hepatitis A and dysentery, among others.

A document issued last December, following an inspection conducted by the nation's health institutions, provides another view of the supply sources built in the middle or low lying flood zones of the capital, coursing with surface water. Unprotected wells protrude with the presence of mosquito larvae, frogs, and fish. The liquid is not suitable for human consumption.

Carlos Aviles Sanchez, who holds a Masters in Microbiological Diseases, does not forget the emergence of a hepatitis outbreak in the early 90’s:
I know that there’s been cholera in the country, even deaths. That’s why I say to the government partners and Water Resources Department: What are you waiting for to find a concrete answer to this situation of the rivers and the entire ecology of the country? It’s our situation, no one else’s.
Sanchez explained that in these cases, boiling the water is not recommended "because it has high concentrations of nitrates and nitrites. When boiling, the pathogens are eliminated, but chemically the salts become concentrated."

Young men wash their motorcycles in the Guanimar River.
Young men wash their motorcycles in the Guanimar River.
The pollution of the rivers, dams, and wells is due to several factors. The proximity of latrines, the application of long-term chemicals in the fields, and terrain characteristics are among the culprits. The vice president of the National Assembly and the National Center of Hygiene argues that other sources have been explored for the purveyance of the water, but with negative results.

Representatives of the People’s Power, who are responsible for finding a solution to the problem, say that they have not ignored the issue. Yet the office won’t admit that they have indeed been passive, despite the scarcity of resources.

A river in the Sierra Maestra.
A river in the Sierra Maestra.
The contamination of Cuban rivers is an old concern. The plight of rivers like the Quibú, has been studied and documented since 1979. On the island, the name Quibú is symbolic of decay and misery.

Law school graduate Yuneisky San Martin, a resident of the Colombia municipality in the province of Las Tunas, emphasized that the contamination of the Tana River in his area is permanent, as "the municipal government has no plans to prevent the advancement of pollution.”

The solution requires more than the goodwill of a few young environmentalists doing occasional voluntary work. It requires resources: machinery and specialists who, by government decision, will put their hands to the plow. It can’t be expected for the Cuban conscience to be simply “awakened.” Perhaps then, there will be fewer people who shrug, say “oh well." and then throw more waste into the nearest river.
  • 16x9 Image

    Lizandra Diaz Blanco

    Lizandra Díaz Blanco is a journalist and radio host. At The Marti's, she alternates between hosting two radio shows: Periodismo.com and 1800 Online, with reports for the martinoticias.com website. She studied journalism at the University "Marta Abreu" of Las Villas in Cuba. Follow Lizandra on Twitter: @lizandraonmarti
XS
SM
MD
LG