Severe Drought in Puerto Rico Forces Water Rationing

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A prolonged drought has depleted lakes and forced water rationing on nearly half of Puerto Rico residents, who are counting on dredging and divine intervention to replenish the island’s reservoirs.

Lakes serving as freshwater sources continue to recede, with one reservoir recently hitting its lowest recorded level. Weather forecasters hold out no promise of rain anytime soon.

Most condominiums and hotels here still have a supply of water because of storage tanks that are filled when water is running.

But the five-month drought proved dangerous Friday when low water pressure hampered efforts to control a fire in San Juan. The blaze destroyed four homes and injured two firefighters.

Officials have imposed water rationing on 1.5 million residents in the capital city and the northeast corner of the island. That covers about half of the U.S. commonwealth’s more than 3 million residents.

In a search for more water, the U.S. government plans to dredge a major river that supplies one of the reservoirs, and may dredge another reservoir. This would free up water cut off by sediment.

The Aqueduct and Sewer Authority is seeking permits that would allow it to drill to water-rich aquifers below San Juan.

Another solution, says Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez, is divine intervention. Aponte Martinez has urged all Roman Catholics to pray for rain. About 100 members of the Stella Maris Church led a traditional prayer procession Thursday through the streets of an upscale tourist section of San Juan in which they called for rain.