Pro Agua Project in Matanzas: A Collective Solution for Water Losses

A few days ago, I shared a first proposal to address the drinking water crisis in Matanzas. In that text, I raised the need for residents to send me photos and locations of leaks on their blocks, in order to prepare a citizen file and present it to the authorities. The response has been encouraging: several people have already sent me their testimonies, and the images confirm what many suspected: drinking water is literally being lost in the streets and running along the curbs.

But I have not stayed only with citizen complaints. I have visited the municipal Aqueduct Company and spoken with its director and a specialist. Both support the need to act urgently and identified with the proposal. The reason? They do not have the workforce to face the magnitude of the problem, and resources are limited. They shared a startling fact: between 70 and 80 percent of the water pumped is lost through leaks. They do not even have the exact figure, but the estimate is as serious as it is real.

I also learned that in each People’s Council of the municipality there is a Communal Services area, and many of those positions are unfilled. Likewise, each commercial office of the People’s Council should have a technician, but most of those positions are vacant. That is, the structure exists on paper, but not on the ground.

The Aqueduct directors agreed with the central idea I put forward: that workplaces near the leaks should take on their repair. They could provide specialists to direct the work and, as far as possible, facilitate some resources. It is not about improvising, but about organizing an alliance between the State, labor entities, and the community.

Furthermore, I learned that there is an MSME linked to the Provincial Directorate of Water Resources, an entity that has a budget for these tasks. Why not promote the creation of other MSMEs dedicated to leak repair? These non-state forms have management capacity and economic means to take on this mission, and they could operate in coordination with the Aqueduct Company.

Volunteers, yes, but with a plan

My proposal still stands: that every resident with a leak on their block send me a photo and location. With that, I continue building a detailed file that I will present to municipal and provincial authorities. But now I include three new elements that emerged from the interviews:

1. Repair by nearby workplaces, with technical support from the Aqueduct Company.

2. Creation of new specialized MSMEs, which could be contracted with the existing budget from Water Resources.

3. Filling technician positions in each commercial office of the People’s Council, a task that the Municipal Directorate can assume immediately, even with rotating personnel.

If at one time Matanzas had a successful Pro Calles (Pro Streets) Project, why can’t we have a Pro Agua (Pro Water) Project?

It is not far-fetched. It is a matter of will, organization, and making use of the human and material resources that already exist in the city but are currently being wasted.

I call on workplace managers, entrepreneurs who can form MSMEs, retired specialists from the water sector, and above all, residents: let us continue documenting leaks. With information and alliances, we can move from complaint to action.

I hope this second installment raises more awareness. Any suggestion, resource, or willingness to join is welcome. Water cannot continue to slip through our fingers.