Severe Drought Plagues Cuba’s Westernmost Province

Severe Drought Plagues Cuba's Westernmost Province

HAVANA – A severe drought affecting Pinar del Rio, Cuba's westernmost
province, has left reservoirs at only 28 percent of capacity and forced
authorities to implement water-saving measures, official media reported
Monday.

The situation is worsening across Pinar del Rio, where at least 23
sources of drinking water are "partially or totally paralyzed" due to
the depletion of aquifers, according to a report by Communist Party
daily Granma.

The newspaper said the drought affecting the province since late 2014
has forced authorities to enact a conservation plan to protect the
population and ease the impact on key activities such as agriculture.

"He has implemented a series of measures to save, manage and control the
water we have," the head of the Pinar del Rio administrative council,
Ernesto Barreto, told Trabajadores weekly.

Pinar del Rio produces 80 percent of the tobacco used to manufacture
Cuba's renowned cigars.

More than 60 percent of Cuba experienced a shortage of rainfall during
the first quarter, leading to "intense and prolonged" drought, according
to a recent report from the Climate Center at the Meteorology Institute.

Source: Latin American Herald Tribune - Severe Drought Plagues Cuba's
Westernmost Province -
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=14510&ArticleId=2385246