Puerto Rico Water Crisis: National Guard Deployed

Severe water shortages are impacting thousands across Puerto Rico, leading the governor to activate the National Guard and emergency responders. The crisis disproportionately affects densely populated cities like San Juan, where residents are struggling daily to secure basic water needs. Many are forced to purchase potable water, use laundromats, and haul heavy buckets, leading to injuries and hospitalizations, particularly among the elderly and disabled.

Infrastructure neglect over decades is a major factor contributing to these widespread outages. The situation escalated to the point where the mayor of San Juan sued the island's Water and Sewer Authority in late May. Nearly 40,000 customers experienced outages in early June, necessitating the National Guard's involvement in water distribution.

Additional water trucks were deployed by the Tourism Company and the Department of Agriculture to serve communities and businesses. Despite these efforts, water remains scarce. A judge has ordered experts to investigate the chronic shortages, with a new committee including a former regional director appointed to work with the agency.

Recent investments of $217 million are being directed towards water-related infrastructure projects. However, many residents remain frustrated, still being billed for water they are not receiving, adding financial strain to their already difficult circumstances.