Chinese Government Donates $27.8 Million in Water and Sanitation Equipment to Cuba

Project narrative

On April 18, 2023, the Chinese Government officially handed over a donation of water and sanitation equipment valued at USD 27.8 million to Cuba’s National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH). The project, sometimes referred to as the China-Aided Drought Response and Sanitation Equipment Project (中国援助古巴应对干旱与下水系统改善设备项目), was originally committed in 2019, but implementation was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The equipment package included 449 pieces of equipment in 33 categories, such as 93 water tankers, 60 wastewater suction trucks, sewer-cleaning vehicles, bulldozers, lighting towers, backhoe loaders, motor graders, air compressors, dump trucks, and thermofusion welding machines. The equipment was delivered through the port of Mariel on October 4, 2022, and distributed to provincial capitals and communities with more than 300 residents across all provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud. The formal handover ceremony was held at the Aguas de La Habana Company on April 18, 2023, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman and Chinese Ambassador Ma Hui. This donation builds on prior Chinese contributions to Cuba’s water sector in 2011 ($6.7m), 2016 ($15.6m), and 2018 ($7.8m), and was explicitly linked to strengthening Cuba’s drought resilience and sanitation infrastructure under SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).