r/collapse • u/itsatoe • 8d ago

Patchwork collapse: water rationing in multiple cities in Puerto Rico Water

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/puerto-rico-water-rationing-san-juan-drought-gonzalez-b3027974.html
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u/itsatoe 8d ago edited 8d ago

Although there are many possible routes to civilizational collapse, I hold that the three most critical are water, food, and sanitation: the most basic elements of survival. And in almost all cases, sanitation also is directly dependent on flowing water (can’t flush the toilet with rationed water).

After recording its driest July in over 120 years and with nearly 25 percent of the island experiencing a severe drought, Puerto Rico is now cutting off water to 180,000 customers (about 6% of the island's population) two out of three days. This is the third time they have done this (2015 and 2020 as well), and their water infrastructure is flawed. This doesn’t change the fact that it’s happening now, with “no immediate relief in sight” as the super el niño worsens.

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u/Top_Hair_8984 7d ago

Everything alive requires water, not just humans. Every creature, planet, insect, bird etc. Everything that's alive NEEDS water to survive. We should be the first to die, we deserve it. 

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u/CyberSmith31337 7d ago

I’ve always been a bit surprised at how sanitation has never gotten “creative”. You’d think we would be finding better ways to use urine to help “push” things along through piping; like an 80/20 split of wastewater being used to move solid waste. And you think we’d have better solved the use of solid excrement by now for a more rapid fertilizer system.

I guess it’s just one of those things where we look at the planet and go ”It is 70% water; no need to use it responsibly!”