Puerto Rico Water Shortages Prompt National Guard Deployment

Thousands of Puerto Ricans are experiencing severe water shortages that have forced many residents to buy water, use laundromats, and carry buckets up multiple flights of stairs. The shortages have affected customers in the island's most populated cities, including the capital San Juan, where some have gone up to two weeks without service.

The island's utilities company draws water from rivers, reservoirs, and underground aquifers that previously supplied the territory's 3.2 million residents. Officials have not publicly identified the cause of the current shortages.

Shortages began affecting some San Juan customers more than a year ago. The governor acknowledged that infrastructure has lacked investment and maintenance for decades. Nearly 40,000 customers experienced outages during the first weekend of June. The governor activated the National Guard, which began distributing water using four trucks with a capacity of 2,000 gallons each.

Puerto Rico's Tourism Company deployed additional trucks with a capacity of 12,800 gallons to serve hotels and short-term rentals.

Juan's mayor sued Puerto Rico's Water and Sewer Authority in late May. A judge ordered experts to investigate the shortages and appointed a committee that includes a former regional director to work with the agency. Residents without reliable water service report spending additional money on bottled water and laundry services.

The extra costs affect budgets on an island where more than 40% of residents live below the poverty line. Some elderly and disabled residents have been hospitalized as shortages continue. The new head of the water and sewer agency stated that some problems could have been avoided with better communication.

On Wednesday night, the governor announced that water infrastructure projects have begun with a total investment of $217 million. Residents continue to report being billed for water service they do not receive.