Thread by @BBCRajiniV

An important thread 👇🏽

Many of us take water for granted - but imagine living in a big city, where the taps have run dry. That's the plight of people in one of India's largest cities, #Chennai.

And what's going on there, could affect the wider world too.

#ChennaiWaterCrisis

The southern city of #Chennai is one of India's largest and richest. Yet millions now rely on water trucks as taps have run dry. There's a scramble when the truck arrives - sometimes it can even get tense. In the area we visited families get 5 buckets a day.
#ChennaiWaterCrisis

We met Valarmathi, who has to live with her family on 5 buckets of water a day. That's to bathe, cook, drink and wash clothes. It's hard to imagine how you'd survive on that in any situation. But India is also in the middle of a heatwave #ChennaiWaterCrisis

Gowri says now the city has run dry, she'll never again take water for granted.

"Water is more precious than food and gold," she told me.

What's going on in #Chennai makes you think about how much water many of us use without worrying for the next drop.

#Chennaiwatercrisis.

#Chennai's main reservoirs (which supply the city) have run dry, after poor monsoon rains last year. Just look at these images of what was once a lake to see how stark things are.

#ChennaiWaterCrisis

Environmentalists like @arunefi blame climate change for the erratic weather patterns. He also says lakes and ponds which are used to store rainwater are being built over. Urbanisation, he argues is a huge factor. @efivolunteer #Chennaiwatercrisis #Chennai

@ArunEFI @EFIVolunteer Actor @LeoDiCaprio shared a picture of a well in #Chennai to highlight the #Chennaiwatercrisis. When we visit the same well it's virtually empty.

@ArunEFI @EFIVolunteer @LeoDiCaprio Some families are praying for a good next monsoon. But environmentalists warn this is a problem of our own making.
#ChennaiWaterCrisis #Chennai