Puerto Rico rations water supplies due to intense drought

Hundreds of thousands of residents in Puerto Rico are going without water for two days as authorities implement drastic measures to combat a severe drought. Many households across the Caribbean island have been split into two groups, with each group having its water supply cut off for 48 hours on a rotating schedule. Residents in the capital, San Juan, where taps were shut off on Friday, denounced the rationing. Officials have not said when the measure will end. Most of Puerto Rico is experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions, according to the US Drought Monitor, a situation worsened by long‑term infrastructure problems. Puerto Rico’s water authority says roughly 65% of the water it produces is lost or goes unbilled, much of it due to leaks and aging pipes, according to the BBC’s US news partner CBS. Governor Jenniffer González acknowledged these issues but said the rationing was put in place because of weather conditions that have left the important Carraízo reservoir depleted. Puerto Rico recorded its driest July on record, with 68% of the island currently facing drought conditions. Seven regions normally served by the reservoir have been affected, with 180,000 properties subject to rationing, the government said. González said the decision was taken "after cautiously evaluating the existent conditions of the Carraízo reservoir successful conjunction with upwind forecasts". "This concern is beyond our control," she said in a statement. "It is the effect of the upwind conditions we person been facing, which experts had warned astur weeks ago."