THE drought in California has escalated. The most populous US state is now so dry that it has had to cut off some water supplies. On the last day of January, faced by what may be California's worst-ever drought, the State Water Project reduced its allocation of water for several districts to zero.
"Gates will be lowered and water will not be released from reservoirs," says Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California. But he says the affected districts do have options. They can refrain from planting crops on some farmland; they can pump groundwater if they have it; and they can look into importing water from their neighbours.
California still has what Gleick calls an "I hope it rains tomorrow" attitude. He says Australia, which recently experienced a 10-year drought, was the same at first. But by the drought's ninth year, the country was building desalination plants, getting rid of thirsty lawns and taking away free water rights from farmers by pricing water.
This article will appear in print under the headline "California thirstin'"
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