Cuba urges water conservation amid drought that leaves its reservoirs at 40 pct capacity

Drought leaves Cuban reservoirs at 40 pct capacity

HAVANA — Cuba is urging people to save water amid what it is calling a “critical” and “tense” drought that has left reservoirs at 40 percent capacity.

The Communist Party newspaper Granma says that reservoirs nationwide designed to hold 9 billion cubic meters (318 billion cubic feet) of water have just 3.6 billion cubic meters (127 billion cubic feet).

Granma said Thursday the current drought began in November 2008 and that 2009 was the fourth-driest year since 1900. The situation worsened following an especially dry May, when the island received only 47 percent of its usual monthly rainfall totals.