California's drought crisis: A look in pictures

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - California announced sweeping statewide water restrictions for the first time in history on Wednesday in order to combat the region's devastating drought, the worst since records began.

The executive order issued by Governor Jerry Brown would aim to achieve a 25 per cent reduction in water usage across cities and towns throughout California by a combination of measures.

The drought has left swathes of California's landscape unrecognisable, with normally brimming lakes and rivers now dry and losses to the state's agricultural industry estimated at several billion dollars.

Here's a look at the situation in pictures:

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