Luis González announced water rationing measures for northeast Puerto Rico as a severe drought grips the island.
Luis González, executive president of the island’s water and sewer authority, announced that thousands of people in northeast Puerto Rico will face 48-hour water rationing periods starting Friday. The measures target several communities in the cities of Canovanas and Rio Grande as temperatures continue to rise. The rationing comes as a drought grips the U.S. territory, prompting Governor Jenniffer González to declare a state of emergency. While the current drought is a primary factor, officials noted that severe water shortages began affecting populated areas months ago due to infrastructure issues. The mayor of San Juan recently sued the water and sewer authority over these persistent outages, which left nearly 40,000 customers without water last month. Representative Domingo J. Torres criticized the agency for reactive management and a lack of a clear long-term plan. The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that 14% of the island is under severe drought, affecting approximately 2.3 million residents. Legislators are currently evaluating the financial impact of these shortages on the island's high poverty rate.