Puerto Ricans face punishing drought amid economic slump

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Puerto Ricans are learning to live without water on an island that already was suffering an economic crisis.

A severe drought is forcing businesses to close temporarily, public schools to cancel breakfast service and people to find creative ways to stay clean amid sweltering temperatures.

Rationing rules that had meant water coming through the pipes only one day out of three will increase the cutoff to one day out of four starting next week, government officials say.

"I've grown fearful of the weather report," said Cornelio Vegazo, owner of a roof-repair company. "There's no light at the end of the tunnel."

The drought is one of the worst in the U.S. territory's history. July was the fourth-driest month in the capital of San Juan since 1898, the year Puerto Rico became a possession of the United States. Only 1.60 inches of rain fell last month, and forecasters predict several more weeks and possibly months of dry conditions.

More than 20 percent of Puerto Rico is in extreme drought, and an additional 45 percent is in a severe one, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center, which says 2.8 million people are affected.

The situation has grown so dire Puerto Rico's water and sewer company announced Wednesday it would spend about $200,000 over three months on a pilot project to use "cloud seeding" in hopes of creating rain clouds over three of the island's main reservoirs.

If Puerto Rico does not receive significant rainfall this week, tens of thousands of clients who depend on the Carraizo reservoir will get water only every fourth day starting next week, said Alberto Lazaro, executive director of the water and sewer company.

"We are doing everything within our reach to address the situation at the reservoirs," he said. "We will not stop looking for alternatives to deal with a situation that, without a doubt, is one of the island's biggest concerns."

Forecasters blame the lack of rain on El Nino, a warming of the tropical Pacific that affects global weather and has led to a quiet Atlantic hurricane season, which began in June and ends in November.