In the midst of an energy crisis, residents in Puerto Rico are also burdened with drinking water inaccessibility, having experienced widespread service interruptions, low water pressure and failures to the potable supply for months now.
While the problem could be attributed to environmental strain, as 46.93% of the United States and Puerto Rico are experiencing drought conditions, some of the island’s leaders are saying it isn’t the only factor.
“The country’s water problem right now is not limited to drought; it is a problem of administrative incompetence, irresponsibility of the Popular Party and [New Progressive Party] governments and the absence of awareness of the climate crisis that Puerto Rico has faced,” said member of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), Juan Dalamau, in a June 11 press conference.
According to San Juan’s Municipal Office for Emergency Management (OMME), the capital city responded to 3,074 water-emergency-related cases between June 1 and 13, and has 2,152 that remain pending. In addition, OMME reported 804 of the initial cases were handled with the distribution of 499,511 gallons of water to affected communities.
The municipality has access to 55 tanker trucks available to deliver drinking water, with 35 currently addressing immediate distribution efforts. Of those 35, 11 are owned by San Juan, 14 are contracted, 6 are from the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) and 4 have been assigned by the National Guard after being deployed by Gov. Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon.
Seventeen additional tanker trucks have been made available due to support from the municipalities of Cidra, Las Piedras, Humacao, Ponce, Trujillo Alto, Mayaguez, Villalba, Arecibo, Penuelas, Juana Diaz and Manati.
“We are working and collaborating to support our communities during this drinking water emergency,” said San Juan Mayor Miguel A. Romero Lugo, via Instagram. “And once we overcome this situation, the [Water Service Stabilization and Restoration Committee] will continue to work to address the particular challenges facing San Juan and strengthen the reliability of the system.”
Urbanization Developments Pose Risk to Water Access
Beyond San Juan, Dalamau and other members of the PIP are urging the island’s government to establish an extensive plan that will safeguard its entire water supply and ensure equal access to the resource.
As an intense El Nino has begun, partly causing 2026 to be on track to becoming the warmest year on record, a plan that holds agencies accountable and builds resilience against environmental and non-environmental factors is crucial.
According to Dalamau, more than 50% of Puerto Rico’s drinking water supply has been lost in the last 19 years due to leaks, breaks and spills.
“Imagine that you have a business and 50% of the inventory you lose or it is stolen or damaged,” the politician said. “That business would be on the way to bankruptcy, and in Puerto Rico for decades, it’s not new.”
With such loss, and more to come, the chances of maintaining a reliable water system are slim, which is why the PIP is proposing a number of short-to-medium term measures: the depoliticization of the AAA, the creation of water reserves that will help conserve northern and southern aquifers, the development of a reforestation plan and others.
One of the threats to the system’s longevity is the proposal of House Bill (HB) 1079, by Johnny Mendez, Puerto Rico’s Speaker of the House of Representatives, which would weaken protections on the island’s karst region. This region covers 27.5% of Puerto Rico and comprises a plethora of limestone formations, underground water sources, caves and forests. The bill could turn the network of natural systems into a source of raw material.
“Of the many initiatives detrimental to planning and natural resources, this is probably one of the most dangerous,” said PIP Vice President Maria de Lourdes Santiago. “If Johnny Mendez gets his way and opens the door to the disorderly commercialization of the karst, the water supply of 400,000 people in Puerto Rico is endangered.”
Another threat to water accessibility on the island is large urbanization developments, like Esencia, a residential and hospitality community spanning 2,000 acres, and Moncayo, a residential community stretching 1,100 acres. Luxury communities like these add strain to the already unreliable water supply.
With these developments comes heavy construction, which may be playing a part in the large presence of sinkholes on the island, according to Nelie Lebron Robles, an at-large member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.
“These sinkholes occur as a result of the fact that there are pipes that continue to be damaged under places where there is already construction,” Robles said. “If we continue to precariously supply water to the communities that are at the moment, that have already been there for many decades, what is going to happen when we then have these megaprojects?”
To begin combatting this, the PIP delegation in the House has proposed a resolution investigating the increase of sinkholes on the island due to ruptures in drinking and sanitary water pipes. They have also filed a resolution to investigate the problem of discharges of sanitary water, and other construction-driven contaminants in San Juan.
The necessary work to protect Puerto Rico’s water system and overall environmental health is extensive, but many leaders across the island understand the hard work that must be done requires collaboration.
“Instead of making excuses, we must join forces and find solutions,” Lugo said in a statement. “For our part, we will continue to participate in good faith, vigilant in ensuring compliance with the agreements reached and focused on a single priority: that families receive the water service they deserve.”
