Puerto Rico begins water rationing amid severe drought

Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans are grappling with a severe water crisis as a massive rationing measure took effect in the capital and six surrounding municipalities. The stringent water restrictions impact over 180,000 customer accounts, meaning households and businesses, forcing residents to alternate between having water for at least 48 hours at a time and then facing prolonged outages.

Officials have not provided an end date for the rationing, warning that the waterless periods could be extended to 72 hours. The situation is dire, with residents seen filling jugs and buckets from tanker trucks. San Juan resident Gloriany Baba described the experience as "brutal" and "unbelievable."

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It's brutal. It's unbelievable to live through this today.

The rationing comes amid a severe drought, with July marking the driest month in San Juan in over 120 years and the second hottest on record. Approximately 36% of Puerto Rico is facing severe drought conditions, with another 32% experiencing moderate drought. Meteorologists caution that it will take sustained rainfall from multiple tropical systems and winter precipitation to alleviate the crisis.

This drought has intensified pressure on a water system already weakened by decades of underinvestment, deferred maintenance, and aging infrastructure. The island's water authority admits that roughly 65% of produced water is lost or goes unbilled, largely due to leaks and deteriorating pipes. Governor Jenniffer González acknowledged past neglect but attributed the current crisis primarily to weather conditions. Many communities have already endured at least 118 days of intermittent water outages throughout 2026 before the rationing began, with service often being intermittent or completely shut off for days.

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It's not going to take one tropical system. It's going to take many tropical systems and the winter precipitation for us to get out of this drought crisis.