Bhopal:
In Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal, the police are now guarding the city's water resources after three people were killed and dozens injured last week over a squabble for water.
Squabbles like these are now an almost a daily occurrence in Bhopal where water supply is down to trickle.
"People are very angry and that is why keeping security in mind we have been assigned this duty," said Manoj, Constable, Bhopal Police.
At lease 85 per cent of the upper lake -- Bhopal's main water source -- has dried up. As a result, piped water supply is now restricted to about half an hour once every three days. And across the state, the situation is even worse.
Ujjain has declared a water emergency where water is supplied once every 10 days. Dewas and Indore residents get water once in seven days.
"Police are required as the crowd swells when the tankers reach. We are really trying to distribute water as peacefully as possible," said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Madhya Pradesh is thirsty with the queues getting longer. And with water getting more and more scarce, the conflict one fears will only get more violent.