They must have been about 7 years old, carrying a gallon of water each from their school's cistern," Hernández Díaz wrote. Community Reliance on School CisternsThe cistern belongs to Mariana Grajales Primary School and has become a vital water source for locals, as regular water supply in their homes has essentially dried up. The Growing Water Crisis"There’s no transport, no fuel, no family trips, no vacations, no electricity to pump water, no potable water supply. Nationwide, estimates from the same period indicate that 2.7 million Cubans face severe water scarcity. Infrastructure Failures and Government ResponseThe core issue is that approximately 87% of the water supply system relies on electric pumps, which fail with each blackout.