Chennai Water Crisis: How Did it Get So Bad & What is Govt Doing?

(Photo: The Quint)

Tamil Nadu is in the grips of an extreme crisis. First there’s the heat wave, add to it the delayed rains and on top an acute water shortage. The state’s capital Chennai seems to be the worst hit.

The state government, meanwhile, is clearly not prepared to deal with such a severe water crisis.

Such is the state of affairs that instead of making sustainable plans in advance, the government’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department recently instructed all major temples in Chennai to pray to the rain gods for water.

Chennai, a city of close to 10 million people, needs 880 million litres of water per day but is getting only 525 million litres.

But why is Chennai so dry? How are the people living in the city managing their lives and what are their demands from the government? Tune in to The Big Story for more!