Havana, November 7 (RHC), —Revolution Commander and Vice President Ramiro Valdes has called for the rational use of drinking water in eastern Santiago de Cuba province, avoiding its waste, amidst the critical situation of water supply in that territory, following the severe drought affecting main local reservoirs.

Valdes, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party, evaluated major investment projects in the eastern province accompanied by local government and party authorities, Granma newspaper reported on Friday.

The water supply in Santiago de Cuba has dropped considerably, which has led to rationality measures such as water pumping in different periods and not everyday as it was the case before. Some state entities have been disconnected from the main pipes in order to guarantee the water to the people, hospitals and other major water consumers, said Engineer Norberto Marey, who heads the local aqueduct and sewage systems sector.

“We do not know when it will rain again, so we must reduce water waste and impose order and rationality as we use water from reservoirs,” said the Revolution Commander, who also considered the pace of a housing program for 2,683 new homes this year.

He also analyzed, along with local authorities, other infrastructure works, such as roads, housing rehabilitation and the underground installation of telephone and power lines in the city as well as the rescue of former French-Haitian coffee farms, which were declared a World Heritage by UNESCO.