Decontaminating Havana Bay over 15-Years
Photo Feature by Elio Delgado Valdes
HAVANA TIMES – Under the slogan “15 years decontaminating Havana Bay” an event was held in Plaza Vieja, Old Havana last Sunday in which numerous articles were displayed artistically made from waste materials that if allowed to pollute the waters make life impossible.
The project began in 1998, and life has returned to the bay. The State Working Group continues to extract numerous contaminating materials from the seabed, and through these cultural festivals try to raise awareness in the population not to be throw waste materials in the bay.
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Chuck,
Given the average wage is about $18 per month, how much more taxation do your think the Cuban people can stand? You have no idea how much is necessary to fix the mess, nor any idea how much your taxes would bring in, let alone how much more the people can bear to pay, but you blithely assume it “should suffice”.
This study from 2010 estimated the systems of drinking water and sewage are so degraded it will require an investment of some $5.72 billion just to bring the equipment up to standard. Further hundreds of millions will be necessary for regular maintenance. The Cuban government has so seriously mismanaged the economy for 54 years they have absolutely no way to pay for such a huge project.
http://www.ascecuba.org/publications/proceedings/volume20/pdfs/Cuetoanddeleon.pdf
Half of all drinking water pumped in Havana leaks away before getting to the faucets of the city. We can assume the sewage system is at about the same level of decay. The authorities can have an artist weld a sculpture from a some bits of rusty iron dredged out of the harbour, but they continue to do nothing about the real problems. Raw sewage continues to flow into Cuba’s waters.
As a Canadian who has travelled to Cuba many times over the past 25 years, I am amazed at how much litter I find on Cuban beaches and in the water off Cuban beaches. The country is so beautiful and the people are so wonderful. But I don’t understand how they can be so careless with rubbish. In my opinion, education should begin with children in the schools and hopefully it will rub off on their parents. Just a thought!
This project with others in the Almendares and Quibu rivers, Yarayo in Santiago de Cuba and others, many reforestations plans across the country and the huge and widening protected areas, will soon turn Cuba into the paradise, the most beautiful land human eyes ever saw, as Christopher Columbus described it upon his arrival to our shores.
Without a massive investment in water purification system, distribution system, sewer and wastewater treatment facilities for every community with over 10,000 inhabitants, this wonderful environmental beginning and the future of the nation, will be in a life and death predicament.
Huge as this investment may appear on the drawing board; by applying an environment investment tax on everyone living in Cuba, on every visitor to Cuba and on all beverage, cigar and all means of transportation, should suffice.