U.S. blockade an
obstacle to housing development in Cuba
HAVANA.- Cuba's housing industry is
one of the main targets of the economic, commercial
and financial blockade imposed by the United States
against the country, hindering housing development
for Cuban families, say officials from the sector.
Speaking with the press, director of
investment at the National Housing Institute,
Roberto Vazquez, said that as a consequence the
blockade, the country cannot acquire construction
technologies or supplies produced in the U.S.
He added that if Cuba were able to access these
products from its northern neighbor, it would
shorten the time needed to construct housing,
directly benefiting the Cuban people.
Vazquez described the issue as crucial, since in
addition to increasing the production of materials
Cuba needs access to technologies designed to
reinforce existing structures, clear conduits and
detect leaks, making it possible for the country to
recover and increase its available housing. However,
limited to using the antiquated means at its
disposal for more than two decades, the country
faces great difficulties in the constant
modernization of technology on an international
scale.
In this regard, he mentioned the cases of
deteriorated buildings both in the nation’s capital,
Havana, and the provincial capitals, which remain in
that state due to lack of specific technologies that
could be purchased in the United States, were it not
for the blockade.
This unilateral measure, applied by the world’s
largest power for more than half a century, has a
marked social impact, directly affecting the
improvement of Cubans' living conditions, Vazquez
stated.
Between April, 2013 and March 31, 2014 alone, the
damage caused by the blockade to the construction of
homes and social institutions reached approximately
27.7 million dollars, said Maribel Robaina, director
of Planning and Statistics at the Construction
Ministry (Micons).
She explained that of this figure, 26.7 million
dollars corresponds to the damages caused by the
inability to access U.S. technologies in the housing
development arena. The remaining million are the
additional forced expenditures on air and sea
transport in order to purchase from markets further
away, as an alternative.
Robaina remarked that without these damages, Micons
could have invested the entire sum in repairing or
building additional homes, schools, clinics, or any
other kind of structure that would bring social
benefits to the Cuban people.
Mario Larrinaga, assistant director at the
Construction Import/Export company (Imeco) said that
the agency had been forced to acquire nearly half
its essential construction products from distant
countries. Some of these products include bathroom
fixtures, roofing materials, supplies for municipal
water systems, raw materials for local production,
electrical supplies, tiles and drywall, for which
450,750 dollars was spent on air or maritime
shipping alone.
The national secretary for the union representing
construction workers, Misael Rodriguez, said that
the efforts of more than 200,000 construction
workers in the country had been impeded by the lack
of access to construction materials, not to mention
the affect on the Cuban population due to deficits
in housing and public works. (PL)
