Cuban Environmental Policy:
The Havana Metropolitan Park Project

Yociel Marrero Baez
Project Manager, Almendares River Clean-up/Metropolitan Park of Havana
and General Editor, Siempre Verde Bulletin (published by Havana Metropolitan Park)

WHEN: Thursday, May 9, 7 PM
WHERE: The Graduate Center, Room 9206/9207
City University of New York
365 Fifth Avenue (@34th St.)

Yociel Marrero helps coordinate a major project to clean up the Amendares River and develop Metropolitan Park. This river runs through the center of Havana. One half of Havana’s sewage flows into this river and only a small percentage of the waste is treated, creating a public health hazard, particularly for the communities that live along the river. The river cleanup project is part of a larger program to develop an environmental Metropolitan Park in the 400 square kilometers that comprise the river’s watershed, from its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean inland for seven kilometers. The Metropolitan Park, a long-time dream of city planners, includes plans for reforestation, organic agriculture, vegetarian restaurants, and the development of a center for environmental education, recreation, and other community activities. The team, which includes sociologists as well as scientists, has devoted considerable time to raising environmental awareness among the people who live in the area, holding educational workshops, and setting up community based water monitoring system.
The Almendares River is a central feature of Greater Havana's Metropolitan Park (700ha.of area). The last 10Km of the river pass through Metropolitan Park. The river was one of the important reasons influencing the location of the City of Havana. In present days, the river serves a large number of users, and provides a spectrum of environmental services. Unfortunately, it has been abused and overused for long time, resulting in substantial degradation and loss of environmental services. The river is 49.8 km long with 254.6 km of tributaries and it drains a watershed of 402 km. Industrial effluent represent flows of 70 000 l/sec whereas domestic effluents constitute flows of 154 000 l/sec or 31.1% and 68.9% respectively. There are 35 industries along the Almendares river. Many of these industries and other facilities discharge directly into the river with little or no treatment. Throughout its course, the river receives a large sediment load which is due to deforestation occurring along the banks of the river. Havana’s only sewage treatment plant became largely incapacitated several years ago; another unfinished plant awaits completion. The engineers in this project favor the installation of many small-scale treatment plants and biological methods of control, but they need material and informational assistance to move forward. The scientific team is also working to convince factory management along the river to either relocate or to invest in new technology that is more environmentally benign.

To reserve, please reply to cubaproject@gc.cuny.edu OR call
212 817-2096.