Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene September 2018 Vol.13 No.4 | Page 16

Water Management

Between Drought and Floods , Cuba

Seeks to Improve Water Management

By Patricia Grogg
A medium-density polyethylene ( MDPE ) pipe is set to be installed on a centrally located avenue in the municipality of Centro Habana , which will be part of the new water supply grid for residents of the Cuban capital . Credit : Jorge Luis Baños / IPS
HAVANA , Sep 15 2018 ( IPS ) - If you enjoy a good daily shower and water comes out every time you turn on the taps in your home , you should feel privileged . There are places in the world where this vital resource for life is becoming scarcer by the day and the forecasts for the future are grim .
A study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ), which covers the period 2003- 2013 , shows that the world ’ s largest underground aquifers are being depleted at an alarming rate as a result of more water being withdrawn than can be replenished .
“ The situation is quite critical ,” NASA scientist Jay Famiglietti has said , when discussing the subject in specialized publications in the U . S . In the opinion of this expert the problems with groundwater are aggravated by global warming due to the phenomenon of climate change .
Far from diminishing , the impact of climate variations is also felt in greater changes in rainfall patterns , with serious consequences for Caribbean nations that are dependent on rainfall . In Cuba and other Caribbean island countries , in particular , periods of drought have become more intense .
“ There is a gradual decrease in water availability due to reduced rainfall , deteriorating water quality and greater evaporation due to rising temperatures ,” Antonio Rodríguez , vice-president of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources ( INRH ), told IPS in an interview .
Hurricane Irma , which in September 2017 tore almost through the entire Cuban archipelago , contributed to the relief of a drought that kept the country ’ s people and fields thirsty for nearly four years . The current rainy season , which will last until November , began in May with Subtropical Storm Alberto with high levels of rainfall that will continue .
“ We have been able to show that climate change is real . We lived through 38 months of intense drought and then we had rains well above average ,” said Rodrìguez .
The intense rains associated with Alberto , which hit Cuba in the last week of May , caused eight deaths due to drowning and serious economic damage in several provinces , but at the same time considerably increased the reserves in the 242 reservoirs controlled by the INRH , the government agency in charge of Cuba ’ s water resources .
Tarea Vida , the official plan to deal with climate change in force since last year , warns that the average sea level has risen 6.77 cm to date , and could rise 27 cm by 2050 and 85 by 2100 , which would cause the gradual loss of land in low-lying coastal areas .
A team of workers from the Aguas de La Habana water company work on the replacement of the sewage system in the Vedado neighbourhood in the Cuban capital . Credit : Jorge Luis Baños / IPS
In addition , there could be “ a salinization of underground aquifers opened up to the sea due to saline wedge intrusion .” For now , “ of the 101 aquifers controlled by the INRH , 100 are in a very favourable state ,” Rodríguez said . These sources also suffered the impact of the drought , but recovered with the rains after Hurricane Irma .
In this context , the inefficient use of water , due to the technical condition and inadequate functioning of the
16 Africa Water , Sanitation & Hygiene • September 2018