The water supply to several municipalities in the Cuban capital was restored this Tuesday, after almost a week of affectations as a result of a breakdown in a fuel line that had contaminated the Vento canal, the newspaper Tribuna de La Habana reported.
Aguas de La Habana executives said that brigades from that enterprise and Cuba Petróleo (Cupet) worked “nonstop” for more than two days to repair the pipeline that supplies fuel to José Martí International Airport, whose breakdown last Wednesday caused the contamination of the canal.
After that, it was necessary to remove and change the canal’s earth, while sanitation work was carried out in the sections of the pipes that were affected by the fuel.
The contamination was detected during an inspection carried out by specialized divers to the master pipe, which led to new excavations to determine the magnitude of the damage.
Contaminación por combustible afecta agua potable en La Habana
The turbo-fuel spill compromised the drinking water that gets to the municipalities of Plaza de la Revolución, Centro Habana, Diez de Octubre, Old Havana and Cerro.
Leonel Díaz, general director of Aguas de La Habana, said at the time that “due to the rapid work carried out, only signs of contamination were detected in a part of the Sevillano district, in Diez de Octubre.” However, neighbors from other affected areas claim to have received contaminated water in their homes.
This weekend a new breakdown increased the water supply deficit to previously affected areas in Havana, due to the breakage of one of the pipes of El Gato source, which caused the closure of “the emergency lines that supplied the service to the districts affected by fuel pollution.
New breakdown increases affectations to water service in Havana
Finally, this Tuesday night, water started being pumped to the municipalities of the center of the Cuban capital, although, “in correspondence with the current availability” of the liquid, “the cycles and schedules established before last week’s breakdowns will be maintained,” according to Tribuna de La Habana.
