Chennai’s the latest city to have almost run out of water, and other cities could follow suit

Chennai is a city that has withstood the rise and fall of empires, but it now faces a grave existential crisis as it runs dry due to a severe water shortage, leaving millions in the lurch.

Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks as taps run dry.

This week, taps ran dry as water levels in its four major reservoirs fell to one-hundredth of what they were this time last year, caused by a devastating drought.

The crisis in India's sixth-largest city — with a population bigger than Melbourne and Sydney combined — has pushed schools, hotels and commercial establishments to close, while hospitals have put off non-essential surgeries.

Millions of people are lining up at water trucks to fill containers of water in a crisis that's hit urban and rural Indians alike, and usually only half leave with their pots filled.

Read the ABC News story - “Chennai’s the latest city to have almost run out of water, and other cities could follow suit.”