1.
GV & SVs People gathered around pump as man pumps out water (3 shots)
0.10

2.
GTV PAN & SV PAN FROM Empty water vessels TO people gathered around tank and pump (3 shots)
0.30

3.
SV PAN Child carrying vessel of water on head
0.37

4.
LV PAN & MVs Parched lake and stranded boats (3 shots)
0.51

5.
MV Water scarcity notice
0.56

6.
MV Men taking steel taps from pile
1.02

7.
MV PAN & CU Water in well being chlorinated (2 shots)
1.10

8.
GV, CU PAN & GV Tanker filling up with water and departing (3 shots)
1.25



Initials BB/1735 TH/PN/BB/17???



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: A severe shortage of drinking water is choking the Indian port city of Madras, capital of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which is currently in the throes of the worst drought for a century.

In an effort to maintain supplies, Madras city authorities announced a fortnight ago that drinking water would only be available for one day in every three.

The coastal city is short of water at the best of times. But three years of monsoon failure have produced the worst drought since 1874.

At present the authorities are trying to maintain emergency supplies, using 100 water tanker lorries, digging 10,000 new wells. But experts are now saying that the city of three million people may have to be partially evacuated unless the monsoon comes sooner than expected this year.

For experts fear that the drought could pose a major health hazard. No epidemic has been reported so far. But there have been reports that doctors are treating increased cases of jaundice, diarrhoea and typhoid -- mainly from people drinking unfiltered water.