Puerto Rico cuts water for 48 hours as record drought drains reservoirs

Puerto Rico has begun rationing water, cutting off supply for 48 hours at a time to more than 180,000 households and businesses across the capital San Juan and six neighboring municipalities, leaving approximately half a million people without running water.

The rotating shutoffs, which have no announced end date, are a response to severe drought conditions that have depleted the Carraízo reservoir, a crucial water source for the island. Governor Jenniffer González warned that the shutoffs could extend to 72 hours if rain does not arrive soon.

July was the driest month San Juan has recorded in over 120 years, with 68% of Puerto Rico currently facing drought conditions, according to the US Drought Monitor. The Carraízo reservoir, which serves seven regions, is at critically low levels, prompting the government to implement rationing after evaluating weather forecasts.

Residents have been forced to queue at water tanker trucks to fill large containers, while elderly and vulnerable populations rely on neighbors to haul jugs up apartment stairwells in extreme heat. The situation has been exacerbated by long-standing infrastructure issues—Puerto Rico’s water authority loses about 65% of the water it produces due to leaks and aging pipes.

Governor González described the crisis as “beyond our control,” attributing it to weather conditions that experts had warned about weeks earlier. The rationing measures come after communities in and around San Juan experienced over 100 days of outages this year, even before the current restrictions began.

Infrastructure failures deepen crisis Puerto Rico’s water system has been plagued by decades of underinvestment. The island’s water authority reports that 65% of treated water is lost before reaching taps, much of it through leaking pipes. In the spring, San Juan’s mayor sued the water authority over persistent outages, while residents have protested, arguing that access to water is a fundamental right.

The drought has also raised concerns about the island’s ability to recover. While a milder hurricane season is forecast, the storms that typically refill reservoirs may not materialize, leaving little relief in sight.

A global water crisis in focus Puerto Rico’s drought is part of a broader pattern of water scarcity affecting regions worldwide. From record-low river levels in Europe to conflicts over the Colorado River in the US, climate change and infrastructure neglect are straining water supplies globally. The island’s crisis underscores the urgent need for investment in resilient water systems as extreme weather events become more frequent.