Puerto Rico Rationing Water Amid Deadly Drought

Sun Sep 06 2026 07:31:53 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Hundreds of thousands alike lose tap water for two days each week as Puerto Rico imposes a 48‑hour off‑on schedule to counter record drought levels.

Puerto Rico’s water authority has split residents into groups that receive running water for 48 hours and then experience a 48‑hour shut‑off, a measure linked to the island’s worst drought on record. The emergency comes as the Carraízo reservoir drops below critical levels and an aging pipe network loses 65% of its output. Despite the governor’s statement that weather drives the action, many residents report confusion over timing and lack of water during the “on” periods. The crisis mirrors past rationing in 2015 and 2020 and highlights the broader impact of climate change on the Caribbean’s infrastructure.

Puerto Rico’s water supplies are being rationed in a sweeping public health emergency that has left hundreds of thousands without tap water for two days every week.

The island’s water authority announced that households are grouped into alternating 48‑hour segments: one 48‑hour period of running water followed by 48 hours of shut‑off, a system previously used in 2015 and 2020.

Officials attribute the crisis to an unprecedented drought, with the U.S. Drought Monitor rating 68% of the island as experiencing drought conditions. The Carraízo reservoir, which supplies the capital and surrounding regions, has been depleted because the weather has not delivered sufficient rainfall.

Infrastructure woes compound the problem: the water authority estimates that 65% of its production either leaks into the ground or remains unbilled due to ageing pipes. The governor, Jenniffer González, has acknowledged these issues while stressing that the rationing comes “after carefully evaluating the current conditions of the Carraízo reservoir in conjunction with weather forecasts.”

Residents report uncertainty over the schedule: some report being told water should arrive on a particular day but find no tap water. In one suburb, people waited for the first 48‑hour window to begin only to discover that the water had not yet arrived.

Residents queue at tanker trucks, filling large containers, while community leaders voice frustration over the “unbelievable” experience. The longer‑term climate picture is grim; experts say extreme weather is increasingly likely due to global warming, foreshadowing repeated sparse rains and higher creek sediment loads that constrain reservoirs.

The U.S. federal response remains vague, with President’s Office hovering on the edge of providing relief. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been asked for comment but hasn’t yet detailed its plan. Citizens continue to face daily hardships as the government navigates an unprecedented drought that blends global warming with poor maintenance of Puerto Rico’s water system.