Puerto Rico rations water supplies due to intense drought
Hot weather and ageing infrastructure have led to the rationing, affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
In Puerto Rico, hundreds of thousands of residents are enduring water rationing for 48-hour periods due to an intense drought. The US territory is experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions, compounded by infrastructure issues, as reported by the US Drought Monitor. About 65% of the island's water is lost or unbilled, primarily from leaks and aging pipes.
Governor Jenniffer González acknowledged the infrastructure problems but attributed the rationing to the weather, which has left the critical Carraízo reservoir depleted. Currently, 68% of the island is facing drought conditions, with 180,000 properties relying on the reservoir. As the situation unfolds, confusion persists among residents about which households and businesses will be affected and when.
Some areas, like the Morcelo region, received expected water supplies on Friday but found none upon arrival. People are queuing up for water tanker trucks to fill large bottles, describing the conditions as "brutal." This crisis follows prior drought measures implemented in 2020 and 2015, when residents received water every third day.
Extreme weather events, potentially linked to climate change, have affected Puerto Rico before, including Hurricane Maria's devastation in 2017. González mentioned over 1,000 wildfires burning in the territory and that rainfall could return when a Saharan dust cloud clears. The US federal government provided aid to address the crisis.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
