Cuban reservoirs at nearly half capacity left positive by Tropical Storm Arlene

Pinar del Rio Reservoir. Photo: Ronald Suarez Rivas.

With rainfall associated with the passage of Tropical Storm Arlene in the vicinity of the national territory, the amount of water in reservoirs at the end of June 4 was 4,452.30 million cubic meters (m³), filling at 49% of the national’s filling capacity, according to the National Institute of Informed engineer Hugo Ramos López, specialist in hydrology and hydrology from Hydraulic Resources (INRH).

The foregoing, the expert said, represents an increase of 372.76 million cubic meters with respect to the volume till June 1.

He noted that the largest increase was recorded in Santiago de Cuba, 114.07 million cubic meters; Camagüey, 63.11 million square meters; Holguin, 62.33 million square meters; Granma, 60.17 million cubic meters, and Guantanamo, 35.22 million cubic meters, meaning an improvement taking into account the difficult conditions faced by those provinces due to drought.

Ramos López pointed out that the areas with the most accumulated landfills compared to the provincial capacity are the special municipalities of Cienfuegos, Holguin, Pinar del Río, Villa Clara and Isla de la Juventud.

Of the total number of reservoirs in the country, engineer Ramos López specified, there is some increase in filling at 157, 36 of them exceed 95% of their total capacity, 27 are full and the latter, 21 discharge, mainly Camagüey (9) ). , Holguin (3), Santiago de Cuba (3), Pinar del Río (2) and Granma (2).

With regard to rainfall, the expert remarked that 51.9 millimeters (mm) of precipitation fell in the four days, which is 27% of June’s historical average of 195.0 mm.

He noted that the most important provincial cumulative was registered in Santiago de Cuba, 114.8 mm, 74% of the provincial historical average; granma, 96.0 mm, 57%; Guantanamo, 84.4 mm, 69%; Holguín, 77.5 mm, 54%, and Las Tunas, 58.7 mm, 37%.

With regard to precipitation in reservoirs, he specified that the highest values ​​correspond to Vicana (Media Luna, Granma) with 269.8 mm; Telemel Bayer (Contramestre, Santiago de Cuba), 257.8 mm; Clotilde Reservoir (Guantanamo), 230.0 mm; Las Coloradas Hydrometric Station (Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba), 226.3 mm, and Parada Reservoir (Santiago de Cuba), 220.0 mm.

(taken from Granma)