Drought victims in eastern Cuba to receive aid from European Union

Drought victims in eastern Cuba to receive aid from European Union

Some 10,000 residents in nine municipalities in eastern Cuba affected by
a severe drought will soon get some relief.
EFE

Some 2,000 Cuban families affected by severe drought conditions in the
eastern part of the island since 2014 will soon get some relief in the
form of aid from the European Union, officials in Havana have announced.

The European Union allocated 100,000 euros (about $113,158) to help the
families directly affected by the longstanding drought. The funds will
be used to provide assistance to 10,000 people in nine municipalities in
the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, the most affected by the
drought, according to a statement issued Monday night in Havana.

The Cuban Red Cross said the agency will distribute the aid, consisting
primarily of providing potable water and distributing materials for
water treatment and quality control. The agency also will promote safe
hygiene practices and proper water management.

The aid is "additional and complementary" to the 600,000 euros (about
$679,038) granted by the European Commission last month to tackle
drought in the eastern Cuban province, according to the statement by the
commission.

SOME 70,000 SANTIAGO DE CUBA RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVING DRINKING
WATER THROUGH WATER TANKERS IN RECENT WEEKS BECAUSE OF THE DROUGHT

Some 70,000 Santiago de Cuba residents have been receiving drinking
water through water tankers in recent weeks because of the drought,
according to reports from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources
(INRH) quoted by official Cuban media.

In early June, the water reservoirs in that Cuban province were at 36.1%
of their capacity, a slight increase in the volume of water due to the
rains of the previous month, according to the INRH.

The aid is part of the European Commission's contribution to the
Disaster Relief Emergency Fund of the International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the statement said.

The European Commission signed a financing agreement for 3 million euros
(about $3.3 million) with the International Federation of Red Cross to
support the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund, mainly for cases that don't
apply for an international emergency call.

Source: Santiago de Cuba drought victims will get aid from European
Union | In Cuba Today - http://www.incubatoday.com/news/article85007737.html