This mobile team will be transferred to Pinar del Río to meet the urgent water and sanitation needs of the population most affected by the passage of Hurricane Ian and will allow the country’s authorities to move it to carry up to 15,000 liters of treated water per day to the communities that need it most. This will facilitate access to safe water on a regular basis for many families.

The plant, which also has a kit of materials to promote hygiene habits and to meet the most urgent sanitation needs, was channeled in coordination with the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Investment (MINCEX) and the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources. (INRH).

Regarding this important contribution, Consuelo Vidal, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System, expressed:

“The United Nations System will continue to redouble actions to help and reinforce the efforts of the Government of Cuba in the response to the emergency of Hurricane Ian and in recovery actions to improve the living conditions of the affected people, in particular, of the most vulnerable.”

This long-term, sustainable solution – the plant has a useful life of 20 years – supports the recovery efforts of affected communities and improves the country’s resilience to natural disasters.

About 3.2 million people in the provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Havana and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud were affected by the severe impact of Hurricane Ian in the western region of Cuba.
It is estimated that one million people need support. Nearly 636,218 children and adolescents from zero to 18 years of age live in the affected provinces, of which 223,000 reside in the most vulnerable municipalities.
47,000 people still do not have access to drinking water in Pinar del Río and in most of the places where the service is provided it is done by means of tanker trucks.
The United Nations System in Cuba supports recovery efforts with interventions in the sectors of Water, Hygiene and Sanitation, Education, Food Security, Housing and Health.

(Taken from Unicef)

At the water treatment plant of the Central University Marta Abreu de Las Villas (UCLV), he confirmed that intense work is being done on her rehabilitation and improvement in the driver, to leave her ready before the restart of the school year, on September 5.

The head of the branch also appreciated the construction progress in the Cerro Calvo water treatment plant, where the water from the Agabama-Gramal system is stored and treated, which provides the vital liquid to the hospital area.

Likewise, he verified the sealing work of Colón Street and the intervened area in the Central Highway (Banda a Placetas) and Circunvalación Vieja, which were pending after the change of networks in poor condition. The conditioning of both roads will allow vehicular circulation to resume.

During his visit to Santa Clara, the INRH president visited the Cerro Calvo Water Treatment Plant, undergoing maintenance actions to deliver water to Santa Clara with higher quality. Photo: Idalia Vázquez Zerquera/Vanguard.

In statements to Vanguardia, the president of INRH commented that the visit is part of the tours that he carries out throughout the country, in order to learn about the actions that the sector undertakes in times of energy contingency, for which generator sets located in the most needy places, with the purpose of maintaining the water service to the population.

He pointed out that as part of the differentiated attention to Santa Clara, the fulfillment of the commitments contracted with the authorities of the province and the town was evaluated, and he referred to the priority that Manicaragua receives, because even when in that municipality shares in the aqueduct, its inhabitants still do not receive the expected benefits.

He said that this is a pending task that will be followed up in September, to decide the date of his intervention, in order to guarantee the service and that it lasts over time.

Prior to the tour, the INRH president held an exchange at the Provincial Government headquarters in Santa Clara, where other issues related to the need to ensure water in the sugar companies that will intervene in the next harvest were also discussed, to avoid interruptions due to this reason during the conflict, in times of energy contingency.

From August 14 to 20, week 33 of the year, transmission was opened in the provinces of Mayabeque (in the municipality of Güines), Cienfuegos (in Rodas) and Guantánamo (in Caimanera), it was reported at the meeting this Tuesday of the Group temporary work of the Government for the prevention and control of Covid-19.

In videoconference format with the political and government authorities of the 15 provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, the exchange was led, from the Palace of the Revolution, by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic , Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and the member of the Political Bureau and Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz.

An analysis of the epidemiological situation of dengue and Aedes Aegypti at the end of week 33 was presented by Dr. Carilda Peña García, Deputy Minister of Public Health, who reported that 22,509 SUMA IgM samples were processed for dengue diagnosis, 933 more than in the previous week.

The studies showed 11,634 reactive cases, 251 more than week 32, but a positivity of 51.7 percent, somewhat lower than the previous period.

The highest positivity corresponded to the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, as well as to the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Havana, Las Tunas, Holguín, Camagüey and Guantánamo.

Regarding the levels of infestation of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, Peña García explained that in week 33, compared to the same week of the previous year, the focus of the vector is higher by 49.5 percent, with 1,683 more foci. Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Camagüey, Villa Clara, Matanzas and Las Tunas contribute 74.1 percent of the country’s focus.

Regarding the confrontation and control of COVID-19, it was learned that at the end of last week (August 20), transmission increased by 28.9 percent compared to July.

The highest levels of transmission in the current month occur in Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, Sancti Spíritus, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Havana and Guantánamo, where 71.9 percent of the cases diagnosed in the country during August are concentrated.

In week 33, one death from COVID-19 was reported, after 13 weeks without deaths in Cuba from this cause. The cumulative lethality from the start of the pandemic to August 20 was 0.77 percent (1,109,992 cases with 8,530 deaths).

The meeting of the Temporary Working Group of the Government for the prevention and control of the pandemic, also followed up on the first reported case of monkeypox in the country —which led to the death of the patient, an Italian tourist— and surveillance that is followed with those who had contact with him.

The meeting also paid attention to the strengthening of the distribution system of oxygen and other gases in the territories; and to the continuity of actions to support Cupet by other organizations in the distribution of fuels, as well as the implementation and control of compliance with the organizational measures for its commercialization.

The measures aimed at facing the current energy situation and reducing the effects on the water supply by different methods were addressed; as well as the control of compliance with the plan for programmed effects on the electrical service and the permanent updating of information for the population.

(By: Rene Tamayo)

The vice president of the Superior Organization of Business Management of Water and Sanitation, Ing. Yunior González Núñez affirmed that some aspects of the new rates are being evaluated, in the logical process of ordering the economy . “Times ranging from six months to a year have been established to propose improvements and changes, since the population’s planning is being taken into account and analyzed .”

Within the Water Policy and the Sustainable Development Strategy there is a basic principle which is the measurement of this natural resource . “We cannot speak of the application of rates, nor of a correct management of services; but there is adequate measurement. Various programs have been designed for this purpose. One of them is the Program for the placement of hydrometers to which considerable financial resources are devoted to complement the measurement in family nuclei and in state centers ”, he highlighted.

In Cuba at the end of 2020, around 2 million cores were certified with hydrometers, of which 640,000 were working correctly to meter the water.

47% of the population receives water daily or every other day. González Núñez said that it is a priority to locate hydrometers in places where water is enjoyed continuously and in sufficient quantities, so that the placement of the measuring instrument constitutes a way of saving.

“The measurement of water is the correct way to apply tariffs according to consumption,” insisted the engineer.

In Cuba, the water supply and sanitation service is subsidized ̶ he said ̶ for this reason it is necessary to highlight some costs that our company incurs to bring drinking water to homes.

Due to the characteristics of the service, one of the great expenses is electricity. ” More than 80% of the water served is through pumping and this practice consumes a lot of electricity”

The chemicals that need to be added to make the water drinkable also influence costs, along with workers’ wages and infrastructure maintenance.

The engineer Yunior González Núñez, vice president of the Superior Organization of Business Management of Water and Sanitation, reported that taking into account all the expenses explained above, it is calculated that the cost of producing 1m 3 of water is $ 1.48 Cuban pesos.

“Losses due to leaks, a group of people who do not pay for the service or the inefficiencies of the company in the management of the collection lead to the income for 1m 3 of produced water being $ 0.99 CUP at the end of 2020″, added.

The new rate was approved by agreement 8991/2021 of the Council of Ministers that establishes the maximum rates in Cuban pesos for the domestic sector. “Before the ordinance, there were only two large sectors that were recognized for the application of the tariff; the state sector and the non-state sector. In 2021 it is divided into three large blocks, the first the sector, residential or domestic; second, the budgeted state sector; and the third, the productive sector ”, announced González Núñez.

This last block includes socialist state companies, joint ventures and the self-employed.

In the case of the domestic sector, there are two main modalities. The vice president of the OSDE for Water and Sanitation said that there are differences between the nuclei that have a meter located at the entrance of their houses, so it is possible to measure daily consumption and there is the population that is not metered, therefore set a fixed fee for the service.

Homes that do not have a hydrometer will pay a constant rate of 7.00 CUP for each inhabitant of the nucleus. “The company has the responsibility of guaranteeing the water service, for this reason it is necessary for people to declare one hundred percent of the inhabitants of the house. The problem lies when technically calculating the population to be served in a distribution, if you do not have the actual amount, you will not pump the required water, “the engineer stressed.

Homes that are metered have a tiered rate. “The wasteful of water will have to pay a corrective fee, to promote an adequate use of the water resource.”

International statistics establish that normal daily consumption is 100 liters per inhabitant, which is also the norm that is collected in Cuba. Taking the aforementioned as a reference, for 3 m 3 per month, which is the equivalent of these 100 liters, a payment of 1.75 CUP is established.
Aqueduct services UM Previous Rate New Rate
Up to 3.0 m 3 / inhab / month m 3 0.25 1.75
More than 3.0 m 3 / inhab / month up to 4.5 m 3 / inhab / month m 3 0.50 3.50
More than 4.5 m 3 / inhab / month up to 6.0 m 3 / inhab / month m 3 0.75 5.25
More than 6.0 m 3 / inhab / month up to 7.5 m 3 / inhab / month m 3 1.00 7.00
More than 7.5 m 3 / inhab / month up to 8.5 m 3 / inhab / month m 3 1.50 10.50
More than 8.5 m 3 / hab / month m 3 3.00 21.00

The official said that cases that consume more than 8.5 m 3 / inhab / month are scarce in the country, occur in places where recreational activities are carried out and in other prime examples.

In those multi-family buildings where individual footage per apartment is not possible, the service fee of 7.00 CUP per person per month applies.

Natural persons who carry out economic activities linked to other forms of non-state management duly authorized in their domicile and receive the water service for a single connection, the rate of the metered service is applied under the following distribution principle: domestic sector rate productive sector rate.

“Workers in the productive sector who consume up to 6.0 m 3 / inhab / month and live in the same place of business will be charged the rate as if it were domestic consumption. If they consume more than 6.0 m 3 / inhab / month, they will be charged the rate of the productive sector to differentiate the high consumption of some forms of domestic consumption management ”

In the case of water supply with tank cars, it is established that if the service of tank cars for the water supply eventually motivated by interruptions attributable to the supplier, it is free . On the other hand, if it is requested permanently or eventually due to interruptions not attributable to the supplier, the price per m 3 is 20.00CUP.

The rate for the supply service of desalinated or purified water per m 3 is 7.00CUP.
Sewer service fees

Participants in the press conference on new water and sewerage rates. Photo: Abel Padrón Padilla / Cubadebate

The management of liquid waste is another of the important elements within the new OSDE water and sanitation tariffs. It was announced at the press conference that for every liter of clean water consumed, 80% returns to the environment as waste water. “This residual water must be processed, so that it reaches an optimal state, so nature can absorb it as a natural resource.”

The costs to process wastewater are higher than to supply water from an aquifer. The sewage evacuation service through sewerage networks is proposed as a percentage surcharge of 30% on the amount of the billing of the water supply service.

In the case of cleaning the graves, a cost per trip of 280.00 CUP was established. “The capacity of the pit cleaning cars for one trip is up to 6 m 3 “, clarified González Núñez.

Other services are the unobstructions inside the houses.
Mechanized clearing m 27.00
Manual unblocking Time 215.00
Mechanized pit slag Trip 140.00

(Cubadebate)

Although it exceeds the multiplication table used for other products, an increase of 700 percent for drinking liquid, historically almost given away the service, continues to be laughable: the bills will reach between just 1.75 and 21 pesos per month per inhabitant, no more .

This only applies to houses connected to aqueducts, but the rest of the residential prices also oscillate by these figures, while the amount for wastewater treatment is, as usual, lower (precisely 30 percent of the amount per The consumption of water). Compared with the increase in the Unión Nacional Eléctrica, or with the new price of any pizza in Old Havana, this increase respects the preschool philosophy that no one is denied water.

In any case, these prices are not yet final – Yunior González, vice president of OSDE, puts the patch on it -; there will be a period of up to a year to study and decide how much they will eventually amount to .

Now … Will this increase in prices guarantee a better quality of services?

“From a purely economic analysis, our companies will continue in a similar situation”, confesses González, a hydraulic engineer by training. “Rates were increased, but also expenses; then we will continue the same. However, our workers, who previously earned 300 pesos on average (of the lowest wages in the country), today receive a higher amount and that will inevitably lead to better service ”.

According to calculations by OSDE, producing a cubic meter of water, from the reservoir to the tap, costs 1.48 pesos . From there, expenses such as electricity, chemicals, salaries and maintenance of the infrastructure are deducted.

However, for that same liquid volume barely 99 cents are recovered. This occurs, to a large extent, due to “losses due to leaks, a group of people who do not pay for the service or the inefficiencies of the company in managing the collection.”

Close the tap of waste

To improve the taxation process, the OSDE has considered solving the last of these problems by installing new meters in family and work centers.

The goal for 2021 is to manufacture 120,000 meter meters . Firstly, existing and obsolete ones that are on the brink of their useful life will be replaced, also those that suffer some kind of breakage. This task will have to use about 62,000 teams. The rest will be used to cover the demand of state centers, those in the self-employed sector linked to production and those in the residential area, in this order of priority.

Everything will be with the policy of “getting in” where there is a stable flow of water, with good service in terms of time, volume and quality; and then move on to other less advantaged places, such as those that have, say, water every three days, ”explains González, clarifying that only 47 percent of the population receives this liquid daily or on alternate days.

The vice president of the OSDE assures that installing more meters not only helps to obtain more income, but also promotes savings, since it is proven that in the localities where it begins to “meter”, water consumption decreases by a quarter .

The project can achieve that more than 99 cents are entered per cubic meter. If n however, will not change much the picture of the company, for 1.48 pesos is not the “real” cost of production . The true one, the net according to international prices of oil that feeds a kilowatt in Cuban thermoelectric plants, or of imported chemical products and spare parts equipment, is much higher.

“I have a lot of subsidies behind me that I am still not able to account for my expenses. The sum of 1.48 pesos is the expense of the OSDE, but when I extrapolate that to the highest office of the State, the expenses are higher, because I am accounting for the electricity with the value that they charge me, for example. There, in itself, there is already a subsidy that I cannot see ”, argues González. “The truth is that the water supply service is one of the most expensive in the world.”

The OSDE of Water and Sanitation and the Cuban business system of aqueducts and drains should not – and for now cannot – raise their rates excessively as long as “water is not denied” and remain socialist state companies that provide a vital service to the population . They are entities that, plainly, were not conceived to profit, which does not mean that a night of waste comes to which the hand will go, as Ana Belén sang.

Under this logic, more is gained by promoting savings, modernizing the hydraulic infrastructure to improve efficiency, or simply reducing water losses. Any of these three routes is more feasible for the profitability of the company, than the hackneyed – and apparently in danger of becoming fashionable – solution of raising prices.

In fact, González acknowledges, the heart of the matter lies in water losses; The same occurs in the conductors of wells, as in the distribution of urban networks or, even, in indoor spaces from common leaks.

The profitability of the service will continue to depend on the saving capacity and the reduction of water losses that the country achieves. (Photo: Radio Rebelde)

“Every cubic meter that is saved or not lost will reach a user from whom you can charge it. In addition, the service will improve and our effort will be socially recognized by the population. Or, simply, we will not have to pump that cubic meter, which represents less water and electricity costs, ”says González.

Excited, the engineer ponders the aqueducts of Japan and Germany – the best in the world, he maintains – which, after millionaire investments and advanced technology, have managed to waste only about five percent of the water.

The reality of Cuba is very different. In 2020, almost half of every cubic meter of water pumped was lost. In more exact figures, about 43 percent. However , the trend has been to reduce this waste little by little, year after year, since 2019 closed with 47 percentage points and for 2021 it is planned to drop to 39.

Over the years, the government has invested millions in the search for optimal efficiency through the Cuban Hydraulic Rehabilitation Program. But this has been delayed by the ups and downs of the budgetary bets: There is still too much to do, and while the scarce and intermittent water resources of a salinized island continue to be wasted.

The aquifer issue is so complex that it is necessary to go beyond the wallet to perceive that this rise in rates is now a secondary topic. After all, the new price per inhabitant per month, as the vice president of OSDE sentenced, “is almost symbolic.”

(Taken from Bohemia )

A report from the Cuban News Agency points out this weekend that in the eastern Cuban province of Camagüey, water reservoirs reach 90 percent of their total capacity.

This represents a more favorable situation than in the same period of the previous year, the official report stressed.

For 2017, they reiterated, those dams only accumulated a fifth of all their volume due to the intense drought that affected the territory.

Currently, 17 dams are favored, when the rains behave normally for this month of July.

The Forecast Center of the Institute of Meteorology considered July to be the month with the least rainfall in the wet period due to a notable increase in the intensity of the Atlantic anticyclone and its influence on the island.

However, at this stage, downpours and thunderstorms occur, mainly during the afternoon and early evening, associated with the passage of migration systems of tropical areas.

(Prensa Latina)

With the Nuevo Mundo Reservoir as its starting point, in the municipality of Moa, the complex network of tunnels, principal and secondary canals, tunnel-bridges, valves, outlets, and other components is projected to cross an extensive portion of the province of Holguín and terminate in the Juan Sáez Reservoir in Las Tunas.

Its size and engineering solutions, planned and already completed, confirm the Cuban state’s determination to move water from areas with greater supplies to those less favored by nature.

The Engineering Services Enterprise affiliated with the Integrated Directorate of Diversion Projects (DIP), headquartered in Mayarí, is responsible for administering the huge investment project that includes six stages, scheduled successively.

A COMPLEX PROJECT

Technical complexities and other obstacles have slowed progress on the East-West Diversion. The first stage, begun in 2005 and concluded in 2009, resolved water supply problems for the city of Holguin’s population and the resort area on the province’s northern keys, which had been impacted by cyclical and severe drought conditions.

With the goal of supplying the provincial capital, the Nipe-Gibara diversion was constructed, carrying water from the Mayarí reservoir to Birán. From this reservoir water is directed to Nipe via the Nipe-Deleite canal, and then to the Gibara basin, with the help of three pumping stations located at key points, separated along the route.

The situation in the beach resort area changed dramatically with the completion of the conduit linking the Colorado and Naranjo reservoirs, which was followed by a connection to the Pesquero treatment plant.

The second stage, also begun in 2005, was completed in 2012. This segment of the system begins at the Mayarí reservoir, in the municipality of the same name, and ends in the Birán Reservoir, within the municipality of Cueto. This conduit joins the Seboruquito and La Esperanza reservoirs.

The connection between the two storage basins was achieved with the construction of 10 kilometers tunnels, 18 km of canals, three canal-bridges, three archways, and some 100 engineering works.

The original budget projected was close to 550 million pesos, but the introduction of new technology and an increase in overall efficiency have allowed for savings of 40 million.

In an evaluation completed at the end of December 2017, with First Vice President and Party Political Bureau member Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez on hand, the benefits produced thus far were outlined.

The Nipe-Gibara conduit has transported 28.6 million cubic meters of water to the city of Holguín, and the Colorado-Naranjo segment has sent the resort area another 3.16 million cubic meters.

To this is added the fact that the amount of water stored has reached 317 million cubic meters and the ability to divert it via the Nipe-Deleite canal, will allow for the irrigation of 12,800 hectares dedicated to agricultural production in general, including sugar cane. Of this total, 2,564 hectares have their supply conduits completed.

The Mayarí reservoir has put an end to floods in the municipal capital, helping to avoid considerable expenses for evacuations, shelters, and protection of people, animals, and different resources.

On the right side of the dam, a small hydroelectric plant was constructed and synchronized with the national grid on October 26, 2016, generating 23 gigawatts per hour through last December, saving the country 5,700 tons of fuel.

These benefits will continue to increase with the regular use of the facility and the termination this year of another plant of this type – with a slightly lower capacity – on the left side of the dam.

A CONTINUOUS, RATIONAL EFFORT

Launched in 2012, the third stage includes several components. Heading north is the Birán-Báguano canal, of which some 12 kilometers of the 28 projected have been completed. To be benefited are 13,400 hectares of agricultural land that will be irrigated.

To the east is the Mayarí-Levisa tunnel with a length of 18.5 kilometers, more than 10 of which have been completed. When the Levisa reservoir is constructed, it will allow for the diversion of 80 million cubic meters of water, from the river of the same name, to Mayarí reservoir.

The determination of construction workers is evident in progress being made on the Nipe-Deleite-Cosme-Herrera canal, critical to plans for this year, since it will supply the heart of the Cosme-Herrera agricultural pole, with a view toward providing irrigation for a future 2,000 hectares of rice fields.

The dynamic pace of work in the present stage reflects a certain correction, the adopting of a strategy focused on the physical progress of works, while organizing project teams with the goal of increasing constructive capacity, and shortening the completion timelines for components that will contribute to increasing food production.

Granma had access to records on progress in the Diversion-related Agricultural Development Program. Analyses revealed that, beginning in 2016, Mayarí, a municipality which had barely produced any legumes or grains at all in the past, has increased production 14.7 times over.

In the case of beans, as compared to 2011, yields were up 3.7 times over and corn 9.8 times.

No tradition of rice farming, harvesting, or processing existed in the area, contrasting sharply with the 1,500 tons sold over the last few years to the state enterprise for subsidized distribution.

Noteworthy is the fact that rice yields over the same period have averaged 4.2 tons per hectare, 50% greater than projections made in the project feasibility study.

A review of reports from Holguín’s state sugar enterprise shows the growing impact of water diversion on the irrigation of cane fields in the municipalities of Báguano, Banes, and Cueto. The limited availability of water and efforts to promote its rational use have led to the construction of modern pumping stations, and the installation of underground drip irrigations systems, which join rolling and pivot sprinklers.

The reports indicate that, by the end of 2018, 2,000 additional hectares of cane fields will be under irrigation.

In its continuous advance toward Las Tunas, the East-West Diversion is laying the basis for development. Along with the water, other significant changes have arrived in the socio-economic environment.

If anyone would like to confirm this, they should consider a visit to Guaro, in Mayarí. Standing out, among all the projects underway in this predominantly agricultural area, is the factory producing derivatives of the nim tree, peanuts, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds, as well as the rice mill, facilities that are encouraging a number of locales to pursue technical and professional training.

BACKGROUND

The East-West water diversion project emerged as a result of the Revolution’s consistent water policy, implemented between 1959 and the end of the 80s, a period during which the country’s storage capacity was increased by 29 million cubic meters, to reach more than nine billion.

• Fidel was always attentive to this critical issue and once the alarming risks of climate change had been evaluated, he developed the idea of diverting water from Cuba’s nine easternmost provinces to the center of the island. Thus an extensive program of investment projects began, to make use of the voluminous quantities of water flowing down from the Sierra Maestra, the Nipe-Sagua-Baracoa range, and the Escambray mountains.

• Work began immediately, undertaken by enterprises affiliated with the Ministry of Construction, the National Institute of Water Resources, and the Military Constructions Directorate, but the arrival of the most difficult stage of the Special Period brought the effort to a halt. In Mayarí, Holguín, and Agabama, Sancti Spíritus, the first steps forward were taken.

• The project was re-initiated at the end of 2004, incorporating a new, more efficient conception. Considering the dramatic losses caused by drought that year in the provinces of Holguín and Camagüey, Fidel directed Army General Raúl Castro to re-activate the strategic diversion plan.

• After the relevant analyses, the Minister of Revolutionary Armed Forces issued an order to regroup the principal leaders, project managers, and forces who had worked on the original plan and established the Special Drought Mitigation Group, and the Diversion Projects Directorate (DIP) that would begin work in early 2005.

• This latter body created the Diversion Engineering Services Enterprise, which was charged with meeting specific needs, among them working on the projects underway to evaluate their environmental impact, and devise strategies to avoid affecting the population and resolve problems as quickly as possible.

SOCIAL WORKS COMPLETED AS PART OF THE DIVERSION PROJECT:

• Housing construction for the new settlements of Arroyo Seco, Las Cuevas, Seboruco, La Pedrona and La Yaya, created because their previous sites were inundated.

• A 280-meter bridge joining neighborhoods within the Arroyo Seco community, which were separated by the Mayarí Reservoir, and access to the municipality of Segundo Frente, in Santiago de Cuba was reestablished.

• A bridge in Arroyo Hondo, in the agricultural production pole of Chavaleta, in Mayarí, and more than 50 kilometers of roads.

RECENT SUGAR INDUSTRY INVESTMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DIVERSION PROJECT:

Construction of five modern pumping stations
Erection and start-up of four underground drip irrigation systems serving 492.7 hectares
Erection and start-up of a rolling irrigation system on 137 hectares
Erection and start-up 59 pivot irrigation sprinklers
THE Diversion Engineering Services Enterprise WAS CREATED TO SUPPORT THE EXECUTION OF THESE PROJECTS:

East-West Diversion from the Nuevo Mundo Reservoir (Moa, Holguín) to the Juan Sáez in Las Tunas
North-South Diversion in the province of Guantánamo, beginning in Yateras and extending to the outskirts of the provincial capital
Center-East Diversion to serve the areas of Agabama, Zaza, Ciego de Ávila, and Camagüey
THE DIVERSION-RELATED AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM HAS SHOWN CONCRETE RESULTS IN LIVESTOCK RANCHING:

In Birán, Cueto, facilities for the artificial feeding of calves were rehabilitated and work undertaken to reestablish five dairy farms, as well as centers for the reproduction of heifers and bulls
Operating again in Pinares de Mayarí are an artificial calf feeding facility and five of the 17 dairies previously existent.

(Granma)

In conversation with Prensa Latina, the manager of that mechanism for this region, Abdullah Kh al-Musaibeeh, stated that about four cooperation projects are being implemented in Santiago de Cuba, Holguin and Havana.

He recalled that he visited Cuba in March 2015 accompanied by the Fund’s general director, Abdulwahab Al-Bader, occasion in which some accords were signed to support with funding credits the rehabilitation of water supply networks and sewerage system in the island’s capital.

He explained that he is again here to participate in Cubagua, where his institution presents today a lecture on the role in water and sanitation financing projects, and also to examine the course of cooperation.

He reiterated the Fund’s willingness to maintain and continue collaboration it has with Cuba in all projects related to the water sector.

According to the National Institute of Hydraulic Resource (INRH), that Kuwaiti entity has so far delivered a sum of $52 million USD for the rehabilitation of water supply networks and sewerage system in benefit of the population and the capital’s institutions.

The INRH is one of the agencies most involved of international cooperation in financing development programs, through government credits and donations.

By Roberto Salomón, Prensa Latina