Photo: Internet.
The lack of rainfall and the high temperatures determine low levels of water availability for the population, agriculture, industry and services. For this reason, the "Tarea Vida" Project (Life Task), approved by the Council of Ministers of Cuba and led by President Raul Castro, responds to the critical situation, by providing actions to reduce the effects of climate change on the Island, which currently suffers one of the most intense droughts of the last 110 years.
Among the most vulnerable territories in the country are those located south of the provinces of Artemisa and Mayabeque. The project contains a set of tasks covering the availability and efficient use of water as part of the strategy, as well as programs related to renewable energy, food security, health and tourism. In Cuba, agricultural drought, described as "silent disaster", has considerable impacts on agricultural systems: crops, pastures, livestock and soils.
It is necessary to have a perception of the danger in order to create alternatives. That is why, in San Antonio de los Baños, to face the drought measures are established and implemented, including: investments for the rehabilitation of hydraulic networks and for the elimination of water leaks, adjustment of the drinking water services, protection of soils in the hydrographic zone and rational use of irrigation facilities in each of the productive forms, among others aimed at reducing and mitigating negative impacts, aimed at guaranteeing environmental sustainability and food security.