In Bengaluru, women stand in queues with empty buckets to collect water from tankers.
Water supply to parts of Bengaluru will be disrupted for 24 hours starting 6 am because city officials need to do "essential maintenance work" and install Unaccounted for Water (UfW) bulk flow meters.
Water supply will be disrupted in areas like RR Nagar, Dasarahalli, Vignana Nagar, Nandini Layout, BHEL Layout, Mysuru Road, Shirke, Shivanna Layout, and Defence Layout, officials have said.
The disruption comes at a time when the state capital is facing an acute water shortage.
An estimated 40 per cent of over 10,000 bore-wells are running dry. This, coupled with low water levels in reservoirs near the city, have forced the water board to prioritise other sources, like the Cauvery basin, which already provides around 1,450 MLD, or million litres per day, as drinking water.
The shortfall is a staggering 1,650 MLD.
On Monday, worryingly long queues were seen at parts of the city.
READ | Long Queues, Empty Buckets In "Parched" Bengaluru, No Water Supply
They were waiting with buckets, pots and pans to collect water from tankers. Residents - dependent on groundwater - told NDTV they are now paying the double the usual rate for these tankers.
"The tankers charge Rs 6,000. If we have to pay this every day, it will become very difficult. Our savings are affected as we are paying for drinking water and for other daily needs..." Shimna, who lives in Bengaluru's Horamavu neighbourhood, told NDTV.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the government is exploring the possibility of digging more bore-wells to solve the issue. "We have allotted Rs 8 crore... some MLAs said bore-wells have been dug to 1,500 feet. We are exploring the possibility of digging 500 meters deeper..." he said.
The brewing water crisis has prompted the opposition BJP to launch a fierce attack on the Congress-led government. The saffron party's state unit boss, Vijayendra Yediyurappa, the son of former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, alleged failure to address the "massive water shortage" in the city.
READ | BJP Chief's Sharp Attack On Siddaramaiah Over Bengaluru Water Crisis
Calling it "ineptitude and disregard" for people, Vijayendra said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah - who met Prime minister Narendra Modi in Delhi in December - should "wake up" to the reality.
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