Unless the rainfall levels rise, he says, water rationing could be inevitable by August. The state of Rio de Janeiro has faced its most severe dry season in 84 years, according to the State Environmental Department.
“The situation could become critical should rainfall levels remain low until April. If not [in August] this year, it will happen next year when the 2016 Olympics takes place during the dry season and Rio will be flooded with thousands of visitors,” Ottoni said. What is making the problem even worse, according to him, is the degradation in drainage areas which prevents them from properly retaining water and infiltrating it into aquifers.