According to Brazilian Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira, the country's three most populous states are currently experiencing the worst drought since 1930.

After calling an emergency meeting in the capital, Teixeira explained the states of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais must save water.

The water crisis situation Teixeira described in her words as "delicate" and "worrying."

According to the BBC, Brazil should be in the middle of its rainy season, and yet there has been little rainfall in the south-east, and the drought shows no sign of stopping.

The water crisis comes at a time of high demand for electricity, as soaring temperatures in the summer months are calling for round-the-clock air conditioning.

Teixeira said, "Since records for Brazil's south-eastern region began 84 years ago, we have never seen such a delicate and worrying situation."

Her comments came at the end of a meeting with five other ministers at the presidential palace in Brasilia held in order to discuss the drought.

The crisis had its start in the state of Sao Paulo, a state where hundreds of thousands of residents have been affected by frequent cuts in water supplies.

The city's Cantareira reservoir system, which serves more than 8 million people, has now dropped to 5.2 percent of its capacity, despite some relief from recent rain.

In Rio de Janeiro, the main water reservoir has dropped to level zero for the first time since it was built.

Environment Secretary Andre Correa said the state was experiencing "the worst water crisis in its history."

All of this comes at a time when Rio de Janeiro publicly stated it will not make good on its Olympic pledge to slash the flow of raw sewage and garbage that goes into the Guanabara Bay, where the 2016 games' sailing and wind surfing competitions are to be held.

Related