India, Oct. 5 -- As the city prepared for Dussehra, the women of Jai Ambika Nagar in Kurla were occupied elsewhere. Depending upon where each home falls in the 700-tenement-strong slum settlement in Kurla West, they stood on guard through the morning for water to gush in from their community taps. Each tap supplies water to anywhere between eight to ten homes, and not a second could be wasted in between.

Every day, the locality receives water for 30 minutes or under, making it approximately three to five minutes per house. "All we are able to fill is two to three 15-litre jugs that have to last our large families the whole day," said Kavita Namganurkar.

The women say the water shortage affects all areas of their life: they're not free t...