Puerto Rico Is Rationing Water. It Could’ve Avoided It by Harvesting Rainwater
Puerto Rico is currently facing a severe water rationing crisis, which experts argue could be mitigated by implementing decentralized rainwater harvesting systems. The article highlights that government mismanagement and aging infrastructure are the primary drivers of the shortage rather than a lack of rainfall.
Why it matters
This highlights the intersection of climate change adaptation and infrastructure policy in vulnerable territories, emphasizing the need for sustainable, localized resource management.
Yet one ready-made solution is barely being tapped: the normally copious rainfall. Anywhere from 30 to 169 inches of precipitation falls on the territory annually, but the government doesn't require US citizens in Puerto Rico to install catchment systems to take advantage of the free resource—unlike some other island states. As climate change increases the odds of more intense droughts on the island, that type of decentralized infrastructure may be just what Puerto Ricans need in an emergency.
“One of the best unused reservoirs of water in Puerto Rico are the roofs of the houses,” says Fernando Abruña, a partner at local firm Abruña & Musgrave Architects.
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