Puerto Rico imposes water rationing amid severe drought
Authorities in Puerto Rico are cutting water supplies for 48-hour rotating periods to hundreds of thousands of residents as the island endures its driest July on record. Ageing infrastructure and reservoir depletion are compounding the crisis.
Puerto Rico has introduced strict water-saving measures as the US territory battles a severe drought. Households have been divided into two groups, each losing running water for 48 hours on a rotating schedule. In the capital, San Juan, where taps went dry on Friday, residents have voiced frustration over the rationing, and officials have given no timeline for when it will end.
According to the US Drought Monitor, most of the island is experiencing moderate to severe drought. The crisis has been worsened by long-standing infrastructure problems: the island's water authority estimates that around 65% of the water it produces is lost or unbilled, largely due to leaks in ageing pipes.
Driest July on record
Governor Jenniffer González has acknowledged these infrastructure shortcomings but says the rationing was triggered by weather conditions that have depleted the vital Carraízo reservoir. Puerto Rico just recorded its driest July on record, with 68% of the island now under drought conditions. Seven regions normally served by the reservoir have been affected, with rationing applied to 180,000 properties.
González said the decision followed careful evaluation of the reservoir's condition alongside weather forecasts, describing the situation as beyond authorities' control and the result of conditions experts had warned about weeks in advance. Experts also point to excessive sediment build-up in reservoirs as a contributing factor.
Similar rationing measures were used in 2020 and 2015, when about 400,000 households received running water only once every three days. González told CNN that more than 1,000 wildfires are currently burning across Puerto Rico, and that rain could return once a cloud of Saharan dust moves away from the Caribbean. She added that the US federal government was providing assistance, without giving further details.
