Puerto Rico is rationing water, but many residents stopped trusting the tap long before the drought

The Conversation reports that more than one hundred eighty thousand households in San Juan and nearby towns have been on a two‑day on‑off water schedule since early August, with officials expecting the rotating cuts to last through August. The island’s aging Superaqueduct pipe ruptured in June and, combined with roughly fifteen thousand miles of leaky distribution lines, means the public utility PRASA loses about half of the water it treats before it reaches consumers. EPA data shows Puerto Rico needs roughly two point two billion dollars to replace those pipes, far more than the federal funds currently flowing in. As a result, many residents have long stopped trusting the tap, relying on bottled water or community cisterns instead.

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