The country of Brazil is facing its worst drought since the 1930s. It is interesting to note that this is the rainy season for Brazil. The drought has led to severe water shortage and has caused power outages over the area, the authorities have advised the people to reduce power consumption. The power outages are due to low levels of water in the hydro power plants. The authorities have called in for water rationing for the affected area, this step could anger the locals who are already unhappy with the authorities. Sporadic incidents of protests have been reported in the area including Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo which is home to around 20 million people is the worst affected by this drought, this is coupled with record low rainfall last year. In Rio de Janerio the reservoirs are operating at zero capacity. The drought has caused major damage to Soybean and coffee cultivation with coffee harvest being significantly lower than last year. The drought has also affected the tourism sector with the mid-February carnival being canceled. Weather experts have attributed this drought to climate change, rapid population growth in Brazil and deforestation as the main contributors of the current crisises. The locals blame the local and the state agencies of poor planning and lack of up-gradation work on the municipal pipelines. Meanwhile, another cause of concern is the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janerio. Some protests have been reported against the newly constructed golf course, which the protesters say is a waste of money and water. Looking ahead the situation looks grim, as the current drought situation shows no signs of abating.
