New York Times
By
SAN JUAN, P.R. — On an island that is flirting with default, fending off
comparisons to Greece and losing its people to the mainland, the biggest
problem most people face is something more elemental — one of the worst
droughts in Puerto Rico’s history.
There has been so little rain here that two months ago the government was
forced to start rationing water on the populous eastern side of the island, in-
cluding in many San Juan neighborhoods. Carraizo, the major reservoir ser-
ving parts of the city, has dropped nearly 18 feet in recent months, shrinking
so noticeably that people can now fish off its sandy shores. The last time wa-
ter rationing was ordered on the island was two decades ago.
For 160,000 residents and businesses on the island, water is turned off for 48
hours and then back on for 24 hours, sending people into a frenzy of water co-
llection. Another 185,000 are going without water in 24-hour cycles, and 10,
000 are on a 12-hour rationing plan...[CONTINUE READING]
It is a pity having people wasting water and water resources at the same that other people are dying of thirst (which is not the only issue that the drought might bring)
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