Pollution in the Bay of Havana has been reduced by more than 55 percent since 1998, thanks to the environmental work developed by the Cuban government, reported Juventud Rebelde daily on Thursday.

The establishment of the State Work Group (GTE) was the first step in the cleaning of the capital's bay, as well as the increased awareness of environmental culture in the 106 pollutant sources, said Yanay Silvera, Environmental Work expert of that company.

According to Silvera, the GTE also established systems for cleaning the bay's sea water and it made the biggest pollutant entities aware of the problem and promoted community work with the population.

With these steps, the group gradually collected objects floating on the water, oily mixtures, sunken boats, and disused piles, while a contingency plan to prevent hydrocarbon spillage was implemented, said the expert.

Regarding the community work, the GTF Environmental Education director, Johanna Socarras, highlighted the interaction and work with 176 schools of the capital.

That work allowed the incorporation of more than 2,500 students to the campaign aimed at increasing environmental culture in neighbourhoods.