Puerto Rico is set to implement water rationing measures across San Juan and several other major cities as a relentless drought tightens its grip on the U.S. territory with no immediate relief in sight.
Starting Friday, more than 180,000 customers will face 48-hour water cutoffs on an alternating schedule, as authorities scramble to address the deepening crisis amid persistent extreme heat warnings.
Governor Jenniffer González acknowledged the gravity of the situation late Tuesday, stating, “This situation is out of our hands,” and attributing the crisis to weather conditions.
She added, “Nothing prevents this from worsening.”
July marked the driest month on record for San Juan in over 120 years, and the second hottest for the capital. The U.S. Drought Monitor indicates that nearly 25 percent of Puerto Rico is experiencing a severe drought, with an additional 36 percent under a moderate drought.
María Novoa García, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Juan, noted that experts had predicted a milder 2026 hurricane season, with dry conditions expected to persist until at least September.
Rainfall in the coming two to three weeks is projected to be at least 50 percent below average, she warned, referencing a natural warming cycle: “We are seeing that El Niño continues to get stronger.”
Beyond parts of San Juan, the rationing will extend to neighborhoods in Carolina, Juncos, Gurabo, Trujillo Alto, Canovanas, and Loiza. The governor could not specify how long these measures would remain in effect.
To mitigate the impact, Luis González Delgado, president of Puerto Rico’s water and sewer system, announced that large trucks would distribute potable water, prioritizing hospitals and residences for older people.
Tania Conde Sterling, president of Puerto Rico’s Association of Health Services Administrators, sought to reassure the public on Wednesday, stating that hospitals and other health centers are prepared.
“We do not improvise at hospitals,” she affirmed. “We have manuals of rules and procedures, as well as protocols for every type of scenario.”
However, for thousands of Puerto Ricans, water shortages are not a new phenomenon. Even before the current drought worsened, many had been experiencing disruptions for up to a year due to unknown reasons.
Marcia Soler París, a 61-year-old community leader, expressed her frustration on Wednesday, noting that the rationing measures hold little meaning for her neighborhood, which has already endured severe water shortages for months.
“It’s chaos,” she said, questioning how residents are expected to prepare for rationing when they already lack water. “It’s truly pitiful.”
Her primary concern lies with bedridden and older individuals who struggle to transport heavy water buckets.
The chronic 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.
The governor herself has acknowledged that the agency’s infrastructure has suffered from decades of underinvestment and inadequate maintenance.
Puerto Rico Representative Domingo J. Torres García warned on Wednesday that he would pursue legal action if he did not receive a satisfactory response from the water and sewer authority regarding the persistent water problems.
“The people have the right to know what is happening, what the plans are and what concrete actions are being taken to address this crisis,” he said.
Puerto Rico has faced similar challenges in the past, with rationing measures implemented in both 2020 and 2015, when approximately 400,000 utility customers received water only every third day.