'A man-made crisis': As a major Indian city runs out of water, 9 million people pray for rain

The wait for water begins in the dark at 4am. By the time A. Vani reaches the public pump, a dozen women are already in line.

The situation is "mental torture," said Vani, 44, hoisting a neon-coloured plastic pot full of water to her waist before starting on the walk home. But, she added, "whatever lengths we have to go to get water, we will do it. There is no other way."A severe water shortage is stalking Chennai, whose metropolitan area is home to 9 million people. The city's reservoirs and lakes are parched and its wells have run dry after two years of scanty rains here.

Indians stand in queues to fill vessels filled with drinking water from a water tanker in Chennai, capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.India is the world's largest user of groundwater – an underground resource that excludes lakes and reservoirs. Twelve major urban areas have been using groundwater at an unsustainable rate since at least 2013, according to data provided by the planning arm of the Indian government.

First Yogesh's family began ordering water from government-run trucks, which would deliver about 9000 litres for $14. As the crisis dragged on, the wait times grew longer and longer. So the family began contacting private tankers, which were selling water for six times the price. Local officials attribute the current predicament to two consecutive years of drought. In response, the city plans to open two new plants to desalinate seawater within the next five years, according to T. Prabhushankar, executive director of the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board. It has also commissioned two plants to convert waste water for industrial use, he said.

Well that's a pity Big Ww and Woolworths ripped me off and I was going to send the money to my children in Nigeria

jurylady5 Perhaps Pastor Morrison will pray for them too ! ! !

Let this story be a warning to Australia, and a wakeup call to the Australian people. Australia does not have the water to sustain it’s current rapid increase to double in population.

They're the next superpower ya know! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Pray for condoms. Or for your country to temporarily give up space exploration. Let’s not run before we can provide for the thirsty...

As Mumbai sufferes torrential rain and flooding. Horrific irony.

60 yrs of incessant, institutionalised corruption presided by DMK & AIADMK Govts made a once beautiful city into urban slum & brought it to its knees. Only solution - ban the two entities & Central Govt takeover long-term arivalayam AIADMKOfficial BJP4India washingtonpost

😂 let’s see if their prayers are answered shall we

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