World · 11 August 2026

Puerto Rico rationing water for 180,000 homes due to drought

Hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico have their running water cut for two days at a time due to a severe drought. Authorities on the US territory have split households into groups, with each group's supply being cut for 48 hours in turn. Water rationing affects 180,000 properties, mainly in seven regions served by the crucial Carraízo reservoir.

By BriefTea Editorial · 11 August 2026 at 16:34

Reported by BBC · How we write briefs

Get the app

Understand this story

Is Puerto Rico part of the US? What is water rationing? Why do droughts cause problems?

More briefs

WorldTrump administration places new sanctions on 26 targets connected to Iran WorldTrump cancels plans to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter TechnologyEU Opens First AI Act Probes Into OpenAI and Anthropic WorldUkraine Passes Parcel Tax Bill to Unlock IMF and EU Aid PoliticsBulgarian PM Backs Trump-Putin Diesel Deal at EU Summit WorldUS brain fungus cases quadruple in two years More world stories → Browse all stories →