[NYTr] After Severe Drought, Cuba's Reservoirs Are Close to Full

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Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN)
http://ainch.ain.cu/mailman/listinfo/ingles


After Severe Drought, Cuba's Reservoirs Are Close to Full

Havana, September 14 (acn)  Very unusual for mid September, specially 
after 1993, Cuba's water reservoirs are currently at an average 83 
percent of capacity. Rainfall above historical average in the first 
eight months of 2007 in most provinces have certainly played a decisive 
role.

Specialists from the National Hydraulic Resources Institute said the 
rainfall in the January-August period, 1,003 millimeters, represents 
114 percent of the historical average, reports Granma daily.

By region, the rainfall in the first eight months of 2007 was the 
following: 973 mm in the West (100 of the annual average); 1,080 mm 
(123 percent) in the Central region, and 947 mm (117 percent) in the 
Eastern provinces.

Ten of the country's fourteen provinces and the special municipality of 
Isla de la Juventud recorded rainfall exceeding the annual average 
while five (Havana, Havana City, Matanzas, Granma and Santiago de Cuba) 
reported between 89 and 98 percent.

Cuba suffered severe drought in 2004-5, especially in the eastern 
region of the country, causing drinking water to be rationed in several 
cities and putting stiff limitations on irrigation. The renewed normal 
or above average rainfall in 2006-7 has been greatly welcomed.