Cuba Water and Fuel Crisis
Recent Developments
012026-10-03: Cuban authorities acknowledged that 2.7 million people have total or partial problems accessing drinking water, with Havana, Artemisa, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba, and Holguín among the hardest-hit provinces.
022026-09-30: Reuters reported that many Havana residents are going days or weeks without running water as blackouts and fuel shortages continue to cripple pumping infrastructure.
032026-04-17: ACAPS reported that fuel shortages were disrupting national water systems, with about 33% of the population lacking safe water services and around one million people dependent on water trucking.
Interventions
- Water trucking remains a major short-term response, with about one million people depending on tanker-delivered water in 2026.
- Humanitarian actors and UN agencies are prioritizing fuel-constrained repairs and emergency support for pumping, treatment, and distribution systems.
- CARE reported installing a solar-powered system to keep an existing water pumping station operating during power outages.
What Works
- Solar-powered pumping systems can maintain water access when grid electricity is unreliable, as shown by CARE’s 2026 intervention in Cuba.
- Emergency water trucking can prevent complete service loss when pumping systems fail, especially for households without any piped supply.
- Protecting fuel supplies for pumps and treatment plants helps restore regular water distribution because the system is heavily dependent on electricity and diesel.
How to Help
- Donate to humanitarian organizations providing emergency water and fuel support in Cuba.
- Support NGOs working on water, sanitation, and energy resilience in Cuba.
- Advocate for humanitarian exemptions and aid access that help restore essential water and power services.
Make an Impact
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Verified Organizations
Organizations Helping(5)
WFP’s Cuba page states that it is active in the country amid energy supply constraints that are affecting water and sanitation services. Its involvement centers on supporting food security and logistics in a context where fuel shortages and transportation constraints disrupt essential services, helping maintain access to basic needs when normal supply chains are impaired.
PAHO continues supplying medical items in Cuba while operations are constrained by fuel scarcity. In this crisis, its role is to protect health services affected by blackouts and water-system failures by maintaining supplies and supporting continuity of care, which is critical when water and sanitation disruptions increase disease risk.
The Food Monitor Program has publicly documented Havana’s severe water crisis and its human impact. Its role is investigative and advocacy-oriented: it gathers evidence on shortages and conditions, exposes how households are forced into unsafe coping strategies, and helps keep attention on the links between water scarcity, public health, and daily survival.
OCHA is coordinating a humanitarian response plan for Cuba focused on health, water, sanitation, and food security. The UN reports that its plan has enabled transport of water, sanitation, health, shelter, and protection supplies, and has supported solar-powered water pumps, portable treatment plants, and backup generators in health facilities to keep critical services running despite fuel shortages.
