A dead fish lies on the dry shores of the almost empty La Plata reservoir in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, June 20, 2015. REUTERS/Alvin Baez-Hernandez As the effects of the worst drought in Puerto Rico's history continue to impact the island nation, Puerto Rico is pleading with the Defense Department for assistance, asking for a task force to help in identifying ways to replenish their water supplies.



The U.S. Commonwealth's Congressional representative, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi sent a letter to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Tuesday, asking that a task force be created to identify ways the island nation can replenish its dwindling reservoirs.

"I want to make sure every possibility is explored given the worsening drought conditions and water rationing we are facing in Puerto Rico," Pierluisi said in a prepared statement, according to Reuters.

In the letter, Pierluisi expressed concern for the over 100,000 students in 476 public schools in 17 different municipalities that are being affected by the drought and lack of water supplies. "Affected schools will operate only Monday through Thursday and with a shortened school day schedule," Pierluisi wrote.

NBC News is reporting that Pierluisi is also asking the DOD to find ways to replenish the territory's reservoirs or to bring water supplies to parched communities. One of his requests is that the DOD send ships with mobile desalination capabilities, something that has been requested before.

Another possibility, according to the letter, would be to send ships with water supplies, in much the same way the USS Kearsarge was used after the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. "I want to make sure every possibility is explored given the worsening drought conditions and water rationing we are facing in Puerto Rico. That is why I wrote the letter today," Pierluisi said in a statement on Wednesday.

People wait to use an osmosis water purifying machine in a grocery store in San Juan, to supply their demand for drinking water after authorities announced 24-hour water rationing in the metropolitan area due to a drop in the water reservoir levels, June 17. REUTERS

A bad drought and a struggling economy

Puerto Rico's severe drought is more complicated than just depleted reservoirs. Added to the drought's impact on people's lives is the $72 billion debt the country is unable to pay. Already bogged down in an eight-year-long recession, water rationing is an added insult to people already struggling to live.

Since May, Puerto Rican residents have been under severe water rationing, receiving tap water every three days. These measures affect 1.3 million of the island’s 3.5 million residents. But tourist areas and resorts are exempt from the rationing, creating a great deal of criticism.

Many activists put the blame for the economic picture and the island's crumbling infrastructure squarely on the government's shoulders. San Juan academic and activist Jose Rivera told ThinkProgress, “The government puts more value into those from abroad than they are concerned about the local situation and the well-being of the public.”

And what about those reservoirs? Back in June, Slate reported that Governor Alejandro Padilla issued a state of emergency over the drought, partly blaming it on the island's struggling economy and the low priority given to water storage by previous governors.

A man and a boy try to fish while standing on the dry shores of the almost empty La Plata reservoir in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, June 20, 2015. REUTERS/Alvin Baez-Hernandez

Miami-based meteorologist John Morales provides weather forecasting for the Caribbean region. He says the Puerto Rican government is probably underestimating the seriousness of the drought. He points out that years of intense tropical storms have silted the reservoirs so much they just don't hold as much water as the government thinks.

“The capacity of the reservoirs has been severely compromised by sedimentation and lack of maintenance,” Morales told Slate. What’s worse, "the island’s crumbling infrastructure is producing huge losses of water from innumerable leaks."

Added to the island's woes is El Nino, threatening continued dry conditions across the Caribbean and Central America. The drought and lack of rain is a problem the U.S. government cannot fix with money or supplies. The Department of Agriculture has been working with the local schools to come up with meals that can be prepared without water.

But what about sanitation? Going to school on days when the water has been turned off increases the risk of health problems and the spread of disease. The same situation holds true in people's homes. Puerto Rico's resources have become limited.

