Forces of Nature: ThinkQuest 2000 (Team #C003603)
http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/droughts/preparation.shtml
To lessen the effects of a drought, limits are put on the amount of water that can be used. In some countries, citizens are asked to stop washing their cars or watering gardens, or even to bathe less frequently and drink less water. When a drought becomes very serious, water rationing occurs, when governments allow people to use only a certain amount of water a day. If these rules are broken, people are subject to fines or imprisonment.