Hello
Through the gaps of tall casuarina trees lining the coast of the Indian Ocean near Dhanushkodi, one can witness local women dig deep into the white sand with improvised metal plate shovels in their quest to find drinking water.
Ground water levels in Chennai and in regions around the city have been falling due to lack of rainfall.
The elite in Delhi and most other parts of the country remain unaffected by the water scarcity while the poor scramble for supplies every day.
The decision was taken by the CWMA in a meeting which was attended by representatives of the Centre and the riparian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry.
Some of the worst affected areas are in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Drought and rural distress are ravaging the state this election summer, with little or no change from the past.
The paddy fields of Upper Kuttanad show no sign of a devastating flood that submerged most of Kerala just seven months ago.
People of earlier generations in Kerala had noticed that when the bamboos blossom, a drought would be witnessed in the area the following year.
Even though water bodies in the hills are drying up early, the authorities have not moved to adopt any preventive measures, despite the drought in previous years.
Several rivers in the state are apparently drying up fast, so much so that people can even walk across through their sand beds at several stretches.