SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico has begun rotating water shutoffs affecting more than 180,000 customers as a severe drought strains reservoirs and forces authorities to ration supplies across San Juan and several other municipalities.
The rationing began Friday and divides affected communities into two zones that alternate between having and not having water on 48-hour cycles, according to Puerto Rico's Aqueduct and Sewer Authority. The program is scheduled to continue at least through the end of August, although Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon said authorities could not determine how long the restrictions would be necessary.
The initial phase affects areas served by the Carraizo reservoir, including San Juan and parts of Carolina, Juncos, Gurabo, Trujillo Alto, Canovanas and Loiza. Authorities said the reservoir has reached critically low levels.
The National Weather Service said San Juan recorded its driest July on record. The U.S. Drought Monitor reported that nearly 68% of Puerto Rico was experiencing drought conditions, while the Associated Press reported that almost a quarter of the island was in severe drought and another 36% in moderate drought as of early August.
Forecasters see little immediate relief. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast a greater than 70% chance of below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures in Puerto Rico from August through October, with a strengthening El Nino pattern expected to suppress some of the tropical systems that normally bring late-summer rainfall.
Health authorities have focused on maintaining water supplies at medical facilities and protecting water quality as service resumes. The water authority said tanker trucks would be deployed to affected communities, with hospitals and long-term care facilities receiving priority. It has also advised residents to boil water for at least three minutes after service returns as a precaution against possible contamination.
The crisis has also exposed longer-running problems in the island's water system. Residents in some communities had reported prolonged interruptions before the drought intensified, while San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero sued the water authority in May over chronic shortages. Governor Gonzalez has acknowledged that the system has suffered from decades of insufficient investment and maintenance.
Puerto Rico has imposed water rationing during previous droughts, including in 2015 and 2020. The current restrictions will remain in place at least through August, with authorities urging residents to conserve water whenever supplies are available.
