Irrigation Community

Irrigation Community

Even though since 1798 Havana's Royal Consulate was granted the faculty of water distribution in Güines, establishing in the valley an irrigation plan by the dam method, not technically perfect, but the first one to be established for a scientific distribution of irrigation water, it is true that the Irrigation Community of Güines River or Mayabeque, was not legally founded until January 1, 1884 under the protection of the 1866 Water Laws. Its first President was Don Manuel Alfonso Idaboy.

Although its foundation took place in the aforementioned date, its approval and the granting of the use of the waters was not obtained from the Spanish Government until December 26 of the same year 1884.

All users of the waters of the Mayabeque formed the Community and it had three entities: The General Membership, the Syndicate and the Irrigation Jury. The General Membership was actually the Community itself and it regularly met once a year. All members participated in the same and in the general aspects of the election, each member voted per farm, being the limit ten votes for each farm he owned. The Syndicate had the representation and organization of the Community and the Irrigation Jury solved factual problems that arose among the members as well as any infractions committed.

The river's discharge in an average normal flow had been calculated at 10,000 liters per second. More than 350 farms with an area of approximately 20,250 hectares were entitled to use the water, based on the number of shares of the farm in relationship to the month-hours of any given month. As a consequence, in order to know for how many hours each member could use the water of the ditch from where he irrigated, you only had to divide the number of hours of the month into the amount of shares of the ditch and once you knew this factor, you would know the results, well understood that if the farm had more than one share, that factor was multiplied by the number of those shares.

The resolutions of the Syndicate and the Community were appealable to the Province’s Governor, whose decision was final.

Each member paid a yearly fee for each irrigation share he owned and the amount collected was applied to pay the Secretary, to take care of the Community’s office, which owned its building at #109 General Asbert Street (formerly Concha Street), to pay salaries to the Irrigation Foreman and employees, to repair existent dams and by-passes, to clean ditches and irrigation channels and other miscellaneous expenses.

The waters of the Irrigation Community were used by Amistad and Providencia Sugar Mills as well as by the Ice Factory, the company processing rice shelling, the United Railroads Company and other industries and business in Güines.

The Irrigation Community was a prosperous and viable institution, with its own building free and clear, cash reserves and first-rate credit. We imagine that the Communist system abolished this centenary institution, which provided so much usefulness and wealth to the Villa of Güines.

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