In October 2016, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House), citing Vietnamese news websites, reported plans by Cuba for five desalination plants. Ines Maria Chapman, who headed the country's national water resources institute, said that a 2,160 m³/day unit in Santiago de Cuba was due to start operating that year. It was the first of the five plants planned in response to the drought affecting the country since late 2014. Santiago de Cuba ranked among the places most severely hit by water shortages.
The report showed that prolonged drought was then prompting desalination plans in the Caribbean as well, starting with smaller units for the most affected cities.