Hyderabad, April 16 -- Remember, Mumbai is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea.

But here is a fact to chew on. When 2,000 licensed water tankers that ply Mumbai city - not the metropolitan region - streets and ferry water from wells to the thirsty population, went on strike for three days, there was, as media reports said, "a crisis". This amplifies the fact that the country's richest civic body falls short on one aspect: giving its residents water.

Mumbai city, which has an annual budget exceeding Rs 5,000 crore and a population close to one crore, is not alone. Other cities, actually towns in comparison to Mumbai, also have this major shortcoming. Aurangabad, recently renamed Sambhajinagar, has a municipal water supply once in ab...