The response to the worst drought on record in the Southeast has unfolded in ultra-slow motion. All summer, more than a year after the drought began, fountains sprayed and football fields were watered, prisoners got two showers a day and Coca-Cola's bottling plants chugged along at full strength.

Much of China was inundated by the worst rains of the year, testing the Three Gorges Dam's anti-flood capacity, even as over a million people suffered from serious drought, state media said Tuesday.

Europeans should pay for water as they use it -- rather than forking out a one-time user fee -- to encourage efficiency and help stave off water scarcity and droughts, the European Union said Wednesday.

A new report says that the current drought is a warning of things to come.While global warming is getting rock-star treatment because of Saturday's global Live Earth concerts, growing concerns over freshwater supplies are quietly making waves this summer.

Scientists have discovered the underground remnants of an ancient lake in Sudan's arid Darfur region, offering hope of tapping a precious resource and easing water scarcity, which experts say is the root of much of the unrest in the region.