India, April 20 -- A prolonged water shortage has left residents of a housing society in Santacruz west struggling for over a month, amid allegations of an unrepaired pipeline leak in the vicinity. Many residents are forced to depend on expensive tankers and packaged drinking water.

Despite relatively low consumption, Nutan Alka Society, a 12-apartment building with about 30 residents, has had to rely heavily on private tankers to meet basic needs, ordering at least five so far. Each tanker, supplying roughly 10,000 litres, costs Rs.3,800-an expense residents say is becoming increasingly unsustainable.

Ajay Pradhan, the society's secretary, said the residents attribute the sharp drop in supply to a suspected leak in a nearby pipeline. "...