Resident of the region of Sao Paulo state, blocks a road during a protest for the eight-month rationing...
A resident of the region of Sao Paulo state that depends on the Cantareira water system, blocks a road during a protest for the eight-month rationing of water continues as a result of a record drought, in Itu, October 27, 2014. After a grueling election campaign in which officials faced fierce criticism for downplaying the effects of a year-long drought, Brazil's most populous state is finally coming to terms with an uncomfortable reality: it is running out of water. Sao Paulo state accounts for a third of Brazil's economy and 40 percent of its industrial production, and the water crisis is already crimping factory and farm output as well as the service sector in a stagnant economy. Hit by Brazil's worst drought in 80 years, the two main reservoirs serving metropolitan Sao Paulo, South America's largest city, could dry out by February if relief does not arrive in the upcoming rainy season. The sign reads, "The city of Itu asks for help". Picture taken October 27, 2014. REUTERS/Nacho Doce (BRAZIL - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT CIVIL UNREST POLITICS BUSINESS)