In response to an unprecedented drought exacerbated by aging infrastructure and prolonged dry weather conditions, authorities in the US territory of Puerto Rico have implemented water rationing measures that will affect over half a million residents. The rationing scheme involves alternating 48-hour shutoffs for households across the island, with San Juan experiencing the first round of outages on Friday. This drastic measure comes as most of Puerto Rico grapples with moderate to severe drought conditions, according to the US Drought Monitor, and the crucial Carraízo reservoir has been depleted due to the extended weather pattern. The Governor of Puerto Rico, Jenniffer González, stated that the decision was made after evaluating current reservoir levels in conjunction with weather forecasts, emphasizing that this situation is beyond their control. As a result, residents have queued at water tanker trucks deployed across affected regions to fill large bottles, while confusion persists regarding which households and businesses will be impacted and when. Experts also attribute the water crisis to factors such as degraded infrastructure, sediment buildup in reservoirs, and human-induced climate change. This is not the first time Puerto Rico has faced water rationing, with previous instances occurring in 2020 and 2015. The island has also experienced severe weather events linked to climate change, such as Hurricane Maria in 2017, which devastated the electricity grid and caused thousands of deaths. Current wildfires burning across Puerto Rico may see relief with the anticipated return of rain once a Saharan dust cloud moves away from the Caribbean. The US federal government is reportedly providing assistance during this challenging time, although specific details have yet to be disclosed.