Ecobreves – CUBA: Bays Increasingly Contaminated

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

HAVANA, Jan 17 2005 (IPS) - Contamination from organic waste in Cuba's bays increased 2.3 percent during 2004, in contrast to a decline of 3.6 percent of the waste burden received by the island's eight main basins. Reports from the Ministry of Sciences, Technology and Environment cited among the most contaminated Cárdenas Bay, 120 km from Havana, and those of Puerto Padre and Nipe, both in the east.

Cuba has some 20 bays, which serve as valuable natural resources. According to official studies, the waters of Havana Bay still show negative conditions, although the burden of 51,741 kg of organic material it receives daily is 63 percent less than the daily total in 1998.

Contamination is one of the main problems afflicting the marine environment and coastline in Cuba, along with erosion and increasing salinity.