DEVELOPMENT NEWS
water challenges Cuba’s By Anna Ilaria-Mayrhofer
Cuba’s water and sanitation infrastructure is ageing. Some sections have been in operation for more than half a century and at a national level, water losses are calculated at around 60 percent. Shortages are particularly acute in highly-populated urban areas. It will take time for the country to achieve United Nations
Sustainable Development Goal 6, which calls for access to clean water and sanitation for all. Cuba has nonetheless made considerable headway in directing more investment to the sector and devising targeted strategies. OFID and Cuba have enjoyed a strong partnership for 17 years and recently signed a US$25 million loan agreement to support the second phase of a water and sanitation project in Las Tunas province benefiting at least 150,000 people. This new investment aims to expand water infrastructure in the eastern province, improving living standards and strengthening economic activities and tourism. Two major programs will improve water quality and reduce water losses. These, alongside a revised water tariff scheme (with an integrated public awareness campaign to promote a ‘water- saving culture’ among the population), should boost water revenues to the government by up to 30 percent. The earlier Phase I of the Las Tunas Province Water and Sanitation Project was co-funded by a US$17 million OFID loan. Completed in 2017, the project installed about 575 km of new water distribution pipes benefiting around 300,000 people.
Phase II now expands the scope of the earlier phase
by providing broader coverage in Las Tunas City and nearby townships, helping Cuba maintain momentum in providing reliable drinking water and safe sanitation. This phase will include the installation of 550 km of water and sewer distribution pipes and the construction or repair of infrastructure such as pumping stations and water storage systems. The project will positively impact living standards and health indicators in Las Tunas and the local economy will benefit as nearby government companies take on the work and material is purchased from Cuba’s own pipe manufacturing facilities. OFID’s loan was signed by Vice-President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, and OFID Director-General Dr Abdulhamid Alkhalifa at OFID’s Vienna headquarters.
Since 2002, OFID has approved more than US$253 million in public sector lending in support of the energy-water-food nexus:
OFID AND CUBA AT A GLANCE Water
Energy
US$133.5 million (including the present project) for six water and sanitation improvement projects.
US$77 million toward modernizing and expanding the electricity network in Havana and installing household connections and providing solar energy in Las Tunas province.
Food
US$43 million to rehabilitate irrigation and sewerage systems and wastewater treatment plants to prevent pollution of the Almendares-Vento watershed.
35 PHOTO: Charcompix/
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PHOTO: Kamira/
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