Puerto Rico authorities have announced water rationing measures in San Juan and other major cities due to the worsening drought in the U.S. territory. More than 180,000 customers will be without water for 48 hours at a time starting Friday as part of an alternating schedule. This was reported by infohub.kz.
Governor Jenniffer González said the situation is out of their hands, blaming weather conditions. According to her, nothing prevents the situation from worsening. July was the driest month on record for San Juan in more than 120 years and the fourth hottest for the capital. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, almost 25% of Puerto Rico is experiencing severe drought, and another 36% is under moderate drought.
Emanuel Rodríguez, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service, said heavy rains usually arrive by the end of August as storms form during the Atlantic hurricane season, but there is no guarantee that will happen this year. Experts have predicted a milder 2026 hurricane season.
In addition to affecting parts of San Juan, the rationing will extend to certain neighborhoods in the cities of Carolina, Juncos, Gurabo, Trujillo Alto, Canovanas and Loiza. The governor said she doesn't know how long the rationing measures will remain in place. Meteorologists have warned dry conditions likely will persist until September.
Luis González Delgado, president of Puerto Rico's water and sewer system, said large trucks would distribute potable water, with priority given to hospitals and residences for older people.
The drought is worsening, but thousands of Puerto Ricans were already experiencing water shortages up to a year before for unknown reasons. Among them is 61-year-old community leader Marcia Soler París. She said Wednesday that the rationing measures don't really mean much because her neighborhood already was experiencing severe water shortages for months. "It's chaos," she said, questioning how Puerto Ricans are supposed to prepare for rationing when they don't have water now. "It's truly pitiful." She worries most about bedridden and older people who are unable to haul heavy water buckets to their homes and apartments.
The lack of water unrelated to the drought prompted San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero to sue the island's Water and Sewer Authority in late May, with the governor acknowledging the agency's infrastructure has lacked investment and maintenance for decades. Puerto Rico previously implemented rationing measures in 2020 and in 2015, when some 400,000 utility customers received water only every third day.