Puerto Rico has begun rationing water supplies for hundreds of thousands of residents as the US territory faces an intense drought.
Authorities have divided affected communities into groups, with each group having its water supply shut off for 48 hours on a rotating basis. Severe drought and depleted reservoir The crisis is particularly serious in San Juan and surrounding areas, where residents have been forced to collect water from tanker trucks.
Officials say the main trigger is the severely depleted Carraízo reservoir, which supplies water to several regions. Key figures include: 180,000 properties affected by the rationing.About 68% of Puerto Rico is currently experiencing drought conditions.
July was the driest July on record for the island. About 65% of the water produced by Puerto Rico’s water authority is reportedly lost or unbilled, largely because of leaks and ageing infrastructure. Governor Jenniffer González said the rationing was introduced after authorities assessed the reservoir’s condition and weather forecasts.
Residents face Uncertainty people in affected communities have been queuing at water distribution trucks to fill containers. There has also been confusion over the rationing schedule, with some residents reporting that water had not returned even during periods when they were supposed to have running water.
The crisis is not entirely new. Puerto Rico previously introduced water rationing in 2015 and 2020, when some 400,000 households received running water only every third day. Experts say the current crisis is being worsened not only by the lack of rainfall but also by ageing infrastructure and sediment accumulation in reservoirs.
The governor has said the US federal government is assisting Puerto Rico, while hoping that rainfall will return after a period of Saharan dust affecting the Caribbean.
