Brazilian state desperate for water

Police escort tank trucks as Sao Paulo suffers its worst drought in 80 years

It's been nearly a month since Diomar Pereira has had running water at his home in Itu, a commuter city outside Sao Paulo that is at the epicenter of the worst drought to hit southeastern Brazil in more than eight decades.

Like others in this city whose indigenous name means "big waterfall", Pereira must scramble to find water for drinking, bathing and cooking. On a recent day when temperatures hit 32 C, he drove to a community kiosk where people with empty soda bottles and jugs lined up to use a water spigot. Pereira filled several 50-liter containers and loaded them into his Volkswagen Beetle.