Cuba has 11,000 sources of pollution that affect water

Cuba has 11,000 sources of pollution that affect water / 14ymedio, Rosa
Lopez
Posted on May 21, 2015

14ymedio, Rosa Lopez, Havana, 20 May 2015 – On World Environment Day,
this coming 5 June, Cuba will have 11,000 sources of pollution that
affect ground water and coastal areas. This information was updated by
Odalis Goicochea, Director of the Environment at that Ministry of
Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA), in a press conference Monday.

The figure is very alarming, especially when we take into account our
dwindling water reserves. 2014 was the driest year reported since the
beginning of this century, and 2015 looks like it wants to compete for
this negative record. With a long and narrow island and with no major
surface or underground water resources, the country needs to do a better
job of managing its waste stream to protect the water.

The town of Guanabo, east of Havana, is a clear example of the drama
that is damaging our most precious natural resource. Part of the sewage
from the urban area ends up in the sea and is mixed with the water where
people swim. In some areas, the air stinks from the waste exposed in
ditches and ponds, becoming an epidemiological danger and contributing
to environmental degradation in areas crossed by the filth.

2014 was the driest year reported since the beginning of this century,
and 2015 looks like it wants to compete for this negative record

The residents have appealed to every agency, even writing complaints to
the "Letters to the Editor" section of the newspaper Granma. However,
the town continues down the slippery slope of apathy and ecological
damage. "Before this was a nice beach, when families came with their
children, but now the number of people coming is greatly diminished,"
says Agustin, a resident of the area who has a home where he hosts
tourists near to the famous Horses of Guanbo.

According to the latest report from CITMA, Cuba needs large investments
in the environment, although the text also stressed that the provinces
of Villa Clara, Holguin and Artemisa have improved environmental
management in recent years, such that the latter has been selected to
host the activities for World Environment Day. But there is a long road
ahead, especially in the proper recycling of waste, the creation of a
social conscience of respect for nature and the application of legal
penalties to entities and individuals who contribute to the
deterioration of the environment.

The country urgently needs to begin implementing solutions, because
every day that passes water is slipping through the fingers of indolence.

Source: Cuba has 11,000 sources of pollution that affect water /
14ymedio, Rosa Lopez | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/cuba-has-11000-sources-of-pollution-that-affect-water-14ymedio-rosa-lopez/