TRANSFORMING Santiago de Cuba into the first city in the country to solve the problem of supplying water to its entire population is the impetus behind the actions and endeavors of the 2,000-plus workers from 11 provinces who are working on this project.

The comprehensive rehabilitation of Santiago’s water system is a colossal task, which will have a tremendous impact and be of popular benefit, and it is putting to the test the level of organization and response capacity of planners and engineers from several different ministries.

Gradually, a transformative change is beginning to be perceived. While during other stages, there was a lack of rigor and demand on the part of the local authorities, the Ministry of Construction (MICONS) and the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH), these deficiencies are currently being overcome with greater control and supervision over the quality of the work being undertaken.

Assessing the project, Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers, stated that the work underway is far removed from the improvisation and lack of foresight that characterized the beginning of the project.

Making a more precise analysis, he emphasized that never before has Cuba embarked on a project of such magnitude, making it imperative that we confront obstacles that arise from the project, thinking in terms of savings and utility.

In his opinion, providing Santiago de Cuba with a modern, safe and stable hydraulic system requires a financial investment of close to 150 million pesos, as well as the mobilization of specialized teams and forces from all over the country.

One constant appeal in his conversations with construction workers and leaders is the need to assume a more active role in controlling resources, as a premise for exploiting efficiency reserves and dealing with delays in the timeframe of the project.

Valdés Menéndez, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party, stressed that systematic checks, together with a self-critical analysis of errors, would allow workers to correctly approach the project, which is not only INRH’s principal investment, but also the most important project undertaken in this territory.

He remarked that although the progress made is unquestionable and the level of satisfaction is growing, deficiencies still persist that are impairing state efforts, provoking additional spending and aggravating the public.

He reserved particular criticism for what happened at the Quintero 1 waterworks where the filtration station is being reconstructed due to serious damage and other problems detected during the operational stage.

In that context, an official from the Ministry of Construction announced that ineptitude and shoddy work meant that the wall veneers collapsed and the filter plant tiles failed during the backwash test.

The reports by two expert commissions – created by MININT and MICONS – concluded that ECOI 11, Villa Clara’s Planning Company and the INRH delegation responsible for the task up until the beginning of this year were responsible for the negligence and the resulting delays.

For his part, an official from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources commented that the tests were carried out in violation of technical regulations. It is incongruous to make an announcement that works are completed if that is not the case or for handover documents to be issued, signed by individuals lacking the authority to validate the Institute’s works.

The situation created is a direct consequence of recklessness during earlier stages which generated severe criticisms at the beginning of the year from President Raúl Castro of high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Construction and the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, provincial cadres from those organizations and the Administrative Council in Santiago de Cuba province responsible for the work, during a joint meeting of the Committee of the Political Bureau of the Party and the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers.

During that meeting, attended by those responsible for the deficiencies in the execution of the water system, Raúl strongly criticized the lack of organization, the tolerant attitude of the management cadres at various levels and the tawdriness in comprehending the priority required – and needed – to solve one of the most urgent problems facing the population of Santiago.

He also instructed Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, as vice president of the Council of Ministers attending to the sector, and "who has been rigorously fulfilling that task since then," to adopt all the appropriate measures in order to rectify the execution of the project, in accordance with Compañero Raúl’s most recent evaluations.

On that occasion, he also proposed the appointment of compañera Inés Chapman, member of the Council of State and at that time the INRH delegate in Holguín province, as program coordinator for the implementation of the Santiago de Cuba aqueduct to which, in her modest way, she has devoted herself in order to fulfill this mission.

Inés studied at CUJAE University where she graduated as a hydraulic engineer in July 1988. In September of that year, she went on to study for a Masters degree in hydraulic engineering at Delft University in Holland. She has a postgraduate degree from the University of Holguín and is a full cadre of the Communist Party, which she joined at 27 years of age. She was also secretary of the Base Committee at the university where she studied.

The analysis undertaken at that meeting sought to ensure that the colossal effort being undertaken by the state should not be tarnished by negligent or irresponsible attitudes.

An official from the Provincial Administration Council stated that those deficiencies were the most controversial issue and the most-hotly debated topic that arose during the most recent People’s Power accountability meeting.

"From that moment," the official acknowledged, "a transformative change occurred. We analyzed the problems. The delegates visited the project site, we drew from our experiences, we assumed the responsibility that corresponded to us from the beginning, which we had not done at the time.

"Faced with a large number of complaints, we created working groups within the People’s Councils so that the population could express their opinions on the renovation works.

"Letting the population participate in the efforts of the hydrometric sector was a satisfactory initiative because it increased the flow of information on the quality and efficiency of the project.

"These action groups are an irreplaceable arrangement. In them, delegates and voters give their opinions, gain awareness of the complexity of the work being undertaken in a city with half a million inhabitants and which needs to be undertaken without paralyzing their basic services, such as water and transportation.

"The population is cooperating and supporting the project on a mass scale. You cannot confront a project of such collective benefit in any other way. In all the People’s Councils, residents are working shoulder to shoulder with the construction workers.

"It is comforting to know that there is collective recognition for the work of the thousands of people who are not even thinking about rest or vacations because of their commitment to the project.

"Although there is still a great deal to do, the implementation of double shifts, the conclusion of 30 unfinished projects, establishing a definitive timetable for all the working groups and providing the government with a outline that will allow it fully assume its role as investor are just some of the measures that will permit us to approach the implementation of the project with greater objectivity.

"This occurred after the criticisms leveled and that is how the Integrated Management of the project and the Administrative Council – via its Engineering Services Company – have been demanding since then the descriptive memory of the system, whether they accept or not the final quality of the works and that it is their responsibility to demand solutions from MICONS and the INRH in the case of possible faults.

"We have the necessary resources and manpower to finish the Santiago de Cuba aqueduct and the El Caney and Boniato connection by November 2010; while in 2011 we will adjust the system in order to measure and regulate water pressure in such a way that we will be able to guarantee equal and simultaneous distribution to every home. We are going to automate the service, build the infrastructure and set up networks for the villages of El Cobre, Siboney, Mar Verde and El Cristo."

These adjustments are important. Because of its mountainous topography, there are different water pressures in Santiago, and stability in 24-hour distribution will not depend on the pumping station or the operation of the waterworks but on the equilibrium of pressure at the highest and lowest points. Once this major project to guarantee water supply to the city is concluded, adjustments will have to be made to the entire network, otherwise certain areas will receive more water than others.

Various aqueducts in Santiago de Cuba date back to the 1920s and approximately 500 of the 900-plus kilometers of hydraulic networks have been functioning for 80 to 100 years.

A population increase, over-exploitation of the system and lack of maintenance aggravated the situation to the extent that more than 61% of potable water pumped did not reach its destination.

Assessing the progress of the program, a regional INRH official explained that the principal delays are located in the main distribution pipes, repairs to the San Juan tanks and the waterworks.

"The arguments may be diverse but it is a fact that we lacked energy and exigency in terms of avoiding a readjustment of the timeframe and reconsidering the investment program. Something similar happened with the internal networks, where pipe connections were prioritized without first testing to see whether water was reaching people’s homes."

He was emphatic when it came to stating that on many occasions, and in the very same hydrometric sector, specialists have had to confront and solve the pressure differences created by disparities in the terrain; in order to avoid major difficulties, a parallel system to the existing one is being set up, which will not be disconnected until the new connection has been certified.

The official explained that around 110 million pesos has been invested in the project, thus demanding maximum efficiency. He said that the restitution of the networks, the links between faucets inside homes and pipes are presenting deficiencies, on many occasions long after the test phase and operation is underway.

In reality, one of the problems that has to be solved with the population is the solution for the entry of water into their homes. It will be very difficult to maintain a stable around-the-clock supply while adjustments to the pressure of the supply system throughout the city are not concluded and direct connections to homes are being repaired.

In the same way, it is essential to modify water rates, given that the current price is symbolic and does not encourage rationality in the use of this precious resource.

He confirmed that exigency is increasing among all the collectives and there are daily assessments on the progress of the project, the errors committed and their consequences.

One head of a brigade and a quality control supervisor agreed that the measures adopted are to be directed at eliminating all the obstacles that are hindering the normal development of the repair works.

The new aqueduct will guarantee water supplies to every home in Santiago de Cuba. The experiences derived from the project will subsequently be extended to other cities in the future.

A national MICONS official confirmed that the production and handover of piping, accessories and other resources necessary for a project of this scale have all been guaranteed.

"Street resurfacing, the fixing of exterior combs on multi-family buildings – of which more than 1,000 have been placed – and assembling valves to improve water pressure are separate programs to that of renewing the aqueduct; its completion corresponds to a project to be carried out at a later date by the Housing Office.

Another national leader, in this case from the Hydraulic Resources Institute, confirmed that Santiago de Cuba boasts the most qualified personnel in the country working in the field of renovation. All the construction enterprises, one specialist team and four project centers are working full-time in the region. Twelve network brigades, four pipe distribution brigades, and three MICONS crews are completing the effort.

The directors of national companies and those from other provinces undertook an evaluation of all areas of the job underway. Mechanization specialists are maintaining the exploitation rate of the teams at above 80% of their productive capacity.

Water, he added, is a very expensive product that is subsidized by the state. The INRH is the third highest consumer of energy at national level. In Santiago de Cuba alone, some 20,000 CUC is invested every month in order to purchase the chlorine, sulfate and hypochlorite required by the waterworks.

"The renovations will reorder the service and eliminate illegalities. Damage to the conduits - where there are pipes of up to 90 millimeters in diameter that have a fragile connection – is still being reported. In the stretch between El Cobre, Melgarejo and La Caoba, 380 liters of water per second is lost or does not reach its destination.

"The completion of the conduit that links the Charco Mono reservoir with the Sierra Maestra tunnel, constructed by the FAR from 1993 to 1994 working almost 24 hours a day, facilitates the arrival of water by gravity and eliminates the six tons of fuel consumed per day by the generators for transferring water from the Gota Blanca pumping station to Santiago de Cuba, which will increase the entry of the precious liquid to the city."

The renovation has passed through various stages and had different focuses, but everything has been conceived to construct an efficient, lasting and reliable system.

An official from the People’s Power Engineering Services Enterprise confirmed that specialists have noted the restitution of faulty sections and solders.

He mentioned cases of operatives who have damaged underground elements by ignoring the technical indications. Other situations have arisen due to the fact that representatives from the institutions have not been on site.

The deficiencies coincide – he added – with complaints from the population and are concentrated on the failings of renovated sectors, leaks, a lack of synchronization between digging and repaving the streets, problems with the construction sequence and negligent attitudes, such as the theft of resources on site.

One recurring problem – and which influenced the arrears – was that the work was checked at the beginning but without taking into account the issue of its completion date, the impact it would have and its handover.

To date, 11 main distribution pipes have been finished and they are working on the remaining ones. It is unavoidable that work on certain conduits, where services have been available for months, has not been completed because one or two registrations are still unresolved.

The networks have a 12-month guarantee to assess their operation, adjust the system and comply with the protocol establishing the technological package. The comprehensive supervision team is made up of 22 highly-experienced technicians.

A construction specialist acknowledged the progress made with respect to quality; nevertheless, he warned about deficiencies in the conduit between the Quintero Pumping Station and Micro 9 in the José Martí District. He was unequivocal that this work did not respect the profiles and had violated other instructions.

For his part, an exterior pipes supervisor referred to changes made in this section, which was the issue that triggered criticism in the earlier analysis at the beginning of the year and which today, is one of the areas of work that is functioning better and displaying savings in the investment.

"We have stepped up security measures and supervision of the work where more explosives had been used than planned. In the same way, we controlled the connections and compacting of the pipes crossing a significant section of the mountain range surrounding the city, which have to withstand tremendous pressure in order to guarantee water supplies to the population there.

"During the process, we instructed the repetition of certain solders and five 1,000 millimeter pipes that were not of the same quality and were improperly used.

"As a consequence, today work is ahead of schedule and there have been savings to the budget as a result of the reorientation of the plan without damaging the aim of the project, which is that the water enters by gravity.

"The substitution of blocks and cement for waste pipes has had an influence on financial savings. Normally, they are worth more than 3,000 pesos and, using this construction, now the price does not exceed 250 pesos."

In a tour of the city, Granma was able to verify improvements to the coastal region, the José Martí District, the Abel Santamaría District, Agüero, Nuevo Vista Alegre, Santa Elena, Sueño, Marimón, Asunción, Pastorita and Rajayoga.

Other hydrometric sectors are partially or completely resolved, while work is being speeded up to establish supplies to the communities of Flores, Mariana de la Torre, Chicharrones y Sevilla, Altamira and Vista Hermosa.

The renovation of the historic center, where the thickness of the paving and the high number of underground elements is complex, has created particular tension. In the higher areas, the system has been replaced by one that is truly operative and will guarantees service to some 35,000 people.

It is imperative that experts assess the feasibility of replacing approximately 20 kilometers of interior piping and distribution networks that are in good condition but have been used for several decades now. This is the moment of planning; when the project is finished the country will not be a position to approve additional spending.

For the time being, specialists are using modern technology to produce a definitive report. Video cameras, slipways, pressure tests, visual examinations, assessments of the rate of burst pipes, and diagnostic inspection within the network will determine the procedure to be followed. It is a fact that, for every kilometer of pipeline repaired by the state, there are savings of one million pesos.

Progress is being made – although not at the required speed – on the paving of drains on the streets. More than 42,000 water meters have been installed, of the 83,000 that are planned for urban areas.

An official from Aguas Santiago corroborated the notable improvement to the Parada and Quintero systems, which are responsible for more than 90% of water distribution in this city.

A different panorama can be witnessed at the San Juan reservoirs, where tanks and extraction batteries are being repaired, given that their deterioration has resulted in a water loss off 70 liters per second, due to lack of attention to the supply sources in order to guarantee the volume of flow demanded by the system, plus a growth in the population in that area.

Soon the new pipe loading bay will be operational. It is conceived for an eventual or exceptional situation, which will impact on the reduction of San Juan’s extraction levels, estimated at 70 journeys and 400 cubic meters of water per working day.

Santiago de Cuba was reporting 2,000 to 2,100 leaks per month. Currently, within the rehabilitated sectors still in the setting-up stage, 20-30 leaks of this nature are being repaired.

One underlying problem is the situation of the sewer system, which is growing worse as the aqueduct’s efficiency improves. In the last six months, 2,700 blockages have been eliminated, but its deterioration is still provoking dozens of breakdowns daily.

Within the plans, it was never foreseen undertaking the two works simultaneously. Santiago is possibly one of the Cuban cities with the largest sewage system, with approximately 290 kilometers of networks covering 95% of the urban area of the city.

There are areas where the evacuation capacity is insufficient, others in which 10,000 to 15,000 inhabitants live without access to the system and, to a large extent, the city does not have the final treatment for waste water and pumps it directly into the sea. Further investments will have to be made later on, as the networks could start to present problems given their scant functioning over a many years due to lack of water, compounded by the fact that there has been zero maintenance of the sewage system.

Now, when all the houses have running water, virtually 80% of what is consumed will go into the sewage system, thus making it necessary to set up a strong maintenance team with the essential technology for cleaning every hydrometric sector.

Another investment director assured me that the rehabilitation is at 82% of execution. More than 900 kilometers of networks have been laid, as well as 64 conduits, 1,800 connecting pipes main distribution pipes.

"Eight of the hydrometric sectors have been completed and work is going ahead to complete another 12, which has benefited 400,000 inhabitants and is reducing the handover cycles, which were oscillating between 20-60 days on average.

Each sector has its director, a commercial office with communications and resources to provide maintenance, solve obstructions and preserve the system’s operability. The complete process includes the rehabilitation of 118, 870 homes. The calibration and adjustment of the distribution circuits will be delayed for about 12 months.

Another 60,000 people – located in 66 barrios that have never received the service or were affected by a non-operational aqueduct – are now being benefited, particularly those communities that have lacked a stable water supply for 25 to 30 years.

The deficiencies are being left behind, the director noted, adding: "Today the distribution frequency is oscillating between three and eight days, with the exception of the San Juan system, where the storage and distribution tanks are being repaired."

A number of networks were laid years ago, but without guaranteeing the water flow needed by their population nuclei. The lack of integration made the situation worse. Although advances are underway, some of its barrios are still being affected by cycles in excess of 12 days, but are progressively improving as the system’s effectiveness is being raised.

Works being redone in the Quintero waterworks are going well. As a preventive measure, some of the construction solutions being executed there will be taken into account during interventions in the other plants. Its capital reparation is part of a program designed to stabilize the service, renew the disinfection process, reduce bacteriological vulnerabilities and give the territory better conditions to assess the physical-chemical treatment of the water.

The challenge is a huge one. It is not enough to know where the problems lie, but what has to be done to solve them in order to make a reality of the publicly given promise at the central event for the 26th of July in the polygon of the former Moncada Garrison.