Inés María Chapman checks construction progress of the Levisa dam

Inés María Chapman Waugh, deputy prime minister of the Republic of Cuba checked on Thursday the construction progress of the Levisa dam, one of the works associated with the East-West Water Transfer being built in the northeastern province of Holguín.

Chapman Waugh noted that despite the complex economic scenario, mediated by the strengthening of the blockade imposed on Cuba, the Cuban government maintains the political will to continue the colossal work, which allows solving problems of the population and the economy, related to water supply, an essential resource for life and food production.

The deputy prime minister received detailed information on the ground about the actions being carried out and the difficulties faced at this stage with some resources, such as fuel, lubricants, tires and batteries in the case of construction and transportation equipment, among others.

Carlos Luis Abreu Junco, director of ECOI 16, an engineering works construction company, explained the actions carried out to comply with the execution schedule and continue their objectives in order to advance in the construction of the Levisa reservoir.

After checking the colossal work and its use value, Eudelio Ricardo Mondeja, director of the ECI DIP Trasvases, updated those present on the status of compliance with the investments, which is in accordance with the availability of fuel and resources, with priority for the continuity of the Levisa dam and the Levisa-Mayarí tunnel.

Due to the limitation of resources, some imported ones, they have had to advance in some works objects more than in others, and work on parts, as is the case of the base of the curtain of the Levisa dam, for which they have sought alternatives in innovations within the construction companies themselves and the ECI DIP Transfer.

Regarding the usefulness of the Water Transfer to date, more than 250 thousand inhabitants of the municipalities of Holguín, Banes, Antilla, Rafael Freyre, Cueto and Mayarí have benefited with the project, which which has made it possible to reduce the use of tank cars in these last two territories by more than 9 thousand inhabitants and the consequent saving of more than 57 thousand liters of fuel. In addition, it also benefits some 6 thousand rooms in the tourist industry.

It also transcended the use of irrigation machines in the productive centers of Mayarí and the offers of the Nipe Fishing industry, based on the increase in the sowing of fingerlings to supply raw materials for their own productions and reach other provinces.

Chapman Waugh appreciated progress in general, however he drew attention to the need to analyze agricultural performance in both Agriculture and Azcuba, which does not correspond to the benefits that the transfer already brings, taking into account the benefits of irrigation and the use of the installed capacities to produce biofertilizers from the Nín processing plant and the entomophagous and entomopathogen reproduction center, known as CREE.