
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


South India’s biggest city, Chennai, is currently in the grip of drought. With the four main reservoirs which supply the city dry, residents have to queue for hours to collect pots of water from government tankers. Critics argue that the shortage isn’t just the result of a single failed monsoon season, but also the responsibility of the government who failed to plan for this scenario. Experts say 21 Indian cities could run out of groundwater next year, and that demand for drinkable water could outstrip supply by double in just a decade. So this week we ask, what can be done to solve this crisis?
Image: Indian residents get water from a community well in Chennai
By BBC World Service4.6
695695 ratings
South India’s biggest city, Chennai, is currently in the grip of drought. With the four main reservoirs which supply the city dry, residents have to queue for hours to collect pots of water from government tankers. Critics argue that the shortage isn’t just the result of a single failed monsoon season, but also the responsibility of the government who failed to plan for this scenario. Experts say 21 Indian cities could run out of groundwater next year, and that demand for drinkable water could outstrip supply by double in just a decade. So this week we ask, what can be done to solve this crisis?
Image: Indian residents get water from a community well in Chennai

7,639 Listeners

375 Listeners

519 Listeners

876 Listeners

1,046 Listeners

293 Listeners

5,520 Listeners

1,799 Listeners

964 Listeners

584 Listeners

2,110 Listeners

358 Listeners

965 Listeners

407 Listeners

410 Listeners

217 Listeners

849 Listeners

366 Listeners

58 Listeners

476 Listeners

238 Listeners

360 Listeners

233 Listeners

307 Listeners

3,177 Listeners

65 Listeners

814 Listeners

555 Listeners

643 Listeners

386 Listeners

239 Listeners

56 Listeners

75 Listeners

74 Listeners