Puerto Rico Faces Severe Water Shortages as Governor Activates National Guard

Puerto Rico is grappling with a water crisis severe enough to prompt Governor Jenniffer González to activate the National Guard, which is distributing water via trucks as residents in San Juan and other populated areas go days or weeks without running water. Officials have not publicly identified a single root cause, though the governor has acknowledged that the island's water infrastructure has suffered from decades of underinvestment and deferred maintenance. Nearly 40,000 customers lost service during the first weekend of June, and the crisis has forced the Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture to repurpose milk transport trucks for potable water delivery. San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero, a member of the governor's own party, filed a lawsuit against the island's Water and Sewer Authority in late May, and a judge has ordered a committee — including recently ousted regional director Roberto Martínez Toledo — to investigate and address the shortages. Residents, many elderly or disabled, are being physically injured hauling water up multiple flights of stairs, while those without service are still receiving water bills. On Wednesday, the governor announced $217 million in infrastructure projects have begun, but residents say relief has not yet reached them, and a growing number are calling for the new head of the Water and Sewer Authority to resign.