Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, measured by area or population, and it's home to one-eighth of the fresh water on the planet, including the Amazon, the mightiest river in the world.
But Brazil's most populous region is facing the worst drought it has encountered in a century and as the New York Times reports, São Paulo, the largest and richest city in the country, is running out of water.
Some residents say their water is already cut off for more than half of every day, and the drastic situation is getting worse, igniting protests in the city and surrounding region.
Fears about what life will be like as water becomes more scarce have kicked off protests in and around the city. In a meeting where someone secretly recorded audio that was leaked to the press, Paulo Massato, the metropolitan director of the São Paulo state-run water utility, said that people might have to flee the city. "There's not enough water, there won't be water to bathe, to clean," says Massato.
SOURCE: The New York Times
So, how did we get here? Well, massive growth over the 20th century built up a metropolitan area of more than 20 million residents that a leaky water system can't adequately serve.
SOURCE: The New York Times
There are serious water shortages in the three most populous states in Brazil — São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais. But São Paulo, both the metropolitan area and the surrounding municipalities, has it the worst so far.
SOURCE: The New York Times
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