India, May 26 -- Around 5 km upstream of the Wazirabad barrage, the Yamuna has mostly dried up. The 500m channel has been reduced to small rivulets, with a few feet of water - only knee-high in some places - flowing between exposed sand beds. This has major implications for parts of the Capital, with residents of the tail end of the Delhi Jal Board's (DJB) network already reporting a disruption in water supply.

"The water level has been consistently going down over the last 7-10 days. Even kids can now cross over to the other side," said Vikas Chaudhary, 31, a resident of the nearby Jagatpur village.

Downstream, near the Wazirabad barrage, two excavators can now be seen digging up the river bed so that the water can be directed towards ...