Puerto Rico Is Rationing Water. It Could’ve Avoided It by Harvesting Rainwater

Puerto Rico is experiencing a historic drought that’s led to water rationing following the driest month on record in July.

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.

The drought has exacerbated a water crisis that was already in motion due to ruptured water pipes and other decrepit infrastructure. For the...

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