Cuba

The Fund currently has three active programmes in Cuba.

The CUB-003-B programme, funded with 8.6 million euros (2.8 million from Fund donations), was created with the aim of intervening in four communities in the Havana Bay tributary basin (Matilla, San Matías, La Prosperidad and Monterrey), in addition to carrying out institutional strengthening and training activities in the Havana and Santiago de Cuba Bay accounts. However, some modifications have been made since its inception and one of the planned actions, Monterrey, has been replaced by other actions, such as the rehabilitation of the main Wastewater Pumping Station (WWPS) in Havana, as well as other secondary stations and improvements in the sewage system collectors, which serves a daily population of more than 860,000 people.

The other three planned interventions to build wastewater treatment plants in Matilla (already in operation); San Matías (civil works completed and working on commissioning) and La Prosperidad (finishing construction) have been carried out. Throughout 2021, the programme has progressed at a faster pace than in previous years, particularly compared to 2020 when there were significant delays as both fuel and travel between municipalities were severely restricted due to the pandemic. A final extension was granted in 2021 and completion is scheduled for June 2023.

CUB-004-B, with 9 million euros in funding, of which 4.5 million euros granted by Spain, aims to extend and improve drinking water supply systems in small towns (La Palma, Jatibonico, Cueto, Guisa, Báguanos, Guantánamo), as well as rehabilitating the INRH technical training centre in Granma. Specifically, the programme has already carried out the planned works in the aqueducts of Báguanos and Sur de Guantánamo and has carried out training actions. There are works pending in La Palma, Jatibonico, Cueto and Guisa, but over the course of 2021, work has accelerated in Guisa and Jatibonico, and civil works have begun on the drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) in Cueto. The provisional pumping station for chlorinated raw water in Cueto has also been brought into service, and the construction of the Guisa DWTP is progressing well.

Lastly, it is the Programme for the Improvement and Sustainable Management of the Water Service in the Municipalities of Cueto and La Palma, CUB-005-B (with 650,000 euros of funding). This programme started in November 2020 and complements CUB-004-B to support the rehabilitation and construction of new water supply infrastructures that will supply quality water to the towns of Marcané and Alto Cedro, both in the municipality of Cueto. The programme also includes the rehabilitation of the header tank in the town of La Palma, a key element in the city’s supply system, which will allow the system to be managed more efficiently and to ensure a more stable service to the population.