The irregularities in the water supply make clean bottled drinking water a daily necessity. Water is distributed to the -pretty much- empty shops in Central Havana. Havana, 9-4-2019
Water is measured in the city’s water reservoir of Trinidad. Due to the limited capacity of the antique aqueduct the five city districts are rationed to two hours of running water, every five days, if the aqueduct is not broken. Trinidad, 2-12-2018
Eight o’ clock in the morning: at policlinics all over the country Health Brigades unite, like here in Matanzas. Equipped with flashlight, mirror and poison state employees go from door to door in order to check the domestic water tanks for parasites and bacteria. Matanzas, 28-4-2019
A horse is bathing in a lake near Camagüey. In the first years after the Revolution, Fidel Castro had several artificial lakes built, in order to supplying the growing population with fresh water. Camagüey, 16-4-2019
As most products have to be imported on the island, the economic embargo is devastating for the supply of goods. Health brigade employees often lack necessary materials. Either the battery, or the flashlight is missing. Using a little mirror Manuel Reyes Estrada reflects sunlight in order to screen the obscure water tank for mosquito larvae. Holguín, 10-1-2020
Yamislain Leyva Bertran sits in her little house with her baby Taila, after having provided access to the health brigade to put covers to her water tank. This way the hygiene of the still water in her tanks is protected. Holguín, 10-1-2020
View over Old Havana. Blue tanks for water storage are dotted over the various rooftops. To the right the just restored monumental dome of the Capitol is towering above the city. Havana, 27-1-2020
In some of the cities the water pressure is too low to push the water up, and they use electric turbines to pump the water up. These have to be imported, are expensive and for both reasons scarce. Trinidad, 16-5-2019
Ramon (right) is standing in front of a water point in Holguín. To make ends meet he sells water through the city. As the water usually comes brown and contaminated from the tap in their homes, most people prefer to buy crystal clear water at the various installed water points in the city -that get the drinking water from wells-, or from vendors like Ramon. Holguín, 24-4-2019
There is large inequality in access to fresh water. In tourist areas renovations are prioritized Guests in the big Varadero resorts have no clue of the daily struggles around drinking water. Although Cubans are allowed to visit these hotels, they cannot afford the exorbitant high entrée fees (in this case 80 CUC or dollar per person per day). Varadero, 13-5-2019
In case of a broken pipeline, low pressure or simply because decent plumbing has never been installed, the pipas carry the water. Twice a week the truck passes in this neighbourhood at the outskirts of Cardenas. People carry the water with buckets to their houses. Cardenas, 16-1-2020
As nothing is automated, the 'piperos' -or water truck drivers- have to open and close the fresh water showers to fill their tanks manually. They carry their own key in their trucks. Havana, 8-5-2019
Ramon Borrel Roja works in long, 12-hour shifts at the Trinidad aqueduct. Every hour he climbs the reservoir to manually empty a five liter tank of chlorine in the water, to prepare the water for consumption. Trinidad, 22-1-2020
In the east of Cuba there is limited access to chemicals to kill mosquito larvae in water tanks. Due to the increased problems in Venezuela, the chemicals are less imported. Small fishes, that will eat the mosquito larvae, are used instead, as a means of biological control. A woman climbs up the stairs to her roof to check if the brigade has put enough fishes in the water tank. Holguín, 10-1-2020
During the problems with the aqueduct of Trinidad, in January 2020, parts of the city did not have running water for up to twenty days. People living in the higher areas could tap unprocessed water from the pipelines, before it entered the faulty aqueduct. Dariel Arüelles climbed the hill with his grandfather to tap the unfiltered water at the house of a befriended family and carry it back home. Trinidad, 21-1-2020
Cuba's health system is world-famous. It is based on prevention, and therefore labour-intensive. In addition, nothing has been digitalized, so the work is neither optimised. Everything is done by hand-written forms, that are not processed by computers. Holguín, 24-4-2019
Javier Almeida Camejo works as a fumigator in the city of Matanzas. He is not provided with a mouth cap to prevent the poisonous gasses to reach his lungs. Still he likes his work. 'I have short working days, so I can go home quickly. I just work in the mornings. In the afternoons I just chill.' Matanzas, 7-1-2020
During the hours of running water, it is common to see people fixing broken garden hoses in order to quickly fill the tanks on their roofs. Due to the lack of materials, a result of the economic embargo, people are used to mend everything broken with whatever there is available Trinidad, 22-1-2020
On the roof of the Central Havana flat where Andres Lobaina Gonzalez lives, a creative network of plastic water hoses is installed. This is done to safeguard the water tanks to fill up when the water is running through the pipelines. Havana, 28-1-2020
The ‘piperos’ are making long hours. Even at night they bring water around. For their jobs they get a small state salary. Many try to plus their income by driving undocumented extra runs and ask for direct payment in return. Early in 2020 there were running far less trucks than normal, due to a shortage of gasoline. As a consequence, more people lacked water. Havana, 28-1-2020

MANIFESTO DEL AGUA (work in progress)

Cuba: a tropical island, a communist state. Water is officially stated to be a human right in the in 2019 newly inaugurated Constitution. One of communist promises is to provide clean drinking water to all of the population, an ideal that is hindered by a multiplicity of challenges, such as climate change, an outdated water system and the USA-embargo. Nonetheless, in a non-digitalized society an army of workers is sent to the streets to guarantee fresh water, such as water truck drivers, doctors, fumigators and inspectors of water tanks. This project highlights both the informality of the bureaucratic system and the inventiveness of the Cuban population to deal with their daily water challenges. The theme of water gives a profound insight in contemporary communist Cuba. 

The project is funded by the Dutch Fund for Special Journalist Projects and Anna Cornelis Fonds for documentary photographers. It won third prize Documentary International at the Zilveren Camera 2019 and was exhibited at Visa Pour l'Image in 2020. 

Sanne Derks

Sanne Derks is a Dutch freelance photojournalist and anthropologist, mainly focused on social documentary projects in Latin America.
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