Puerto Rico Implements 48-Hour Water Rationing Amid Expanding Drought
The island's water authority announced 48-hour rationing for parts of the northeast as severe and moderate drought conditions affect most of the population, prompting calls for better management and infrastructure investment.
Puerto Rico's water and sewer authority said on Thursday that residents in the northeast will face 48-hour water rationing starting Friday, as drought conditions worsen across the territory. The program will initially cover communities in the cities of Canóvanas and Río Grande, with officials warning that additional areas may be added.
Luis González, executive president of the authority, said the lack of rainfall has left the system unable to meet demand. > “There’s just not enough water,” he said, adding that the rationing could be extended to other regions.
The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that 14% of the island is under a severe drought and 59% under a moderate drought, up from 18% in late June, affecting roughly 2.3 million of Puerto Rico’s 3.2 million residents.
The current shortages follow a previous outage that left nearly 40,000 customers without water last month, prompting the activation of the National Guard. That incident was unrelated to the drought.
Lawmakers have criticized the water authority’s long-standing infrastructure deficiencies. Rep. Domingo J. Torres said the agency’s response “cannot be attributed solely to the drought” and described its management as reactive and lacking a clear plan for water access. He filed a formal request for details on the authority’s drought-response actions.
A spokesperson for the water and sewer agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Legislators also convened a public hearing to examine the financial impact of water shortages on an island where nearly 40% of residents live in poverty.