The South African city of Cape Town will slash residents' water allowance to 50 litres a day from next month amid fears that it could become the world's first major city to run out of water.
The city had reached a "point of no return", Mayor Patricia de Lille said.
The BBC reports that Cape Town, a popular tourist destination, has been hit by its worst drought in a century.
Ms De Lille warned that the city risked reaching "Day Zero" on 21 April, when taps in homes could run dry.
"We can no longer ask people to stop wasting water. We must force them," she said at a press conference.
"Despite our urging for months, 60% of Capetonians are callously using more than 87 litres per day," she added, referring to the current daily limit.
A person uses about 15 litres per minute for a typical shower and the same amount when flushing a standard toilet, according to WaterWise, a South African water usage awareness campaign.
