A prolonged heatwave never before seen in India's capital is exacerbating an acute water shortage into a full-blown crisis with New Delhi's so-called "water tanker mafia" ready to take advantage.
Temperatures have been soaring for about two months in the state of Delhi, reaching 46 and 47 degrees Celsius on multiple days over the last few weeks and topping at a record-breaking 49.1C.
More than 100 people have died in heat-related incidents across the country, with tens of thousands more taking needing hospitalisation.
Videos have gone viral on Indian social media of schoolchildren fainting en masse in one state.
"It has been much hotter this year, and it has been very prolonged," said Jyoti Sharma, head of water security NGO Force, which has been working in the field for more than 20 years.
"We've never had such long stretches of hot weather, and temperatures have gotten to record highs," she said.
The situation is so dire that Education and Public Works Minister Atishi Marlena — one of the Delhi government's most prominent ministers — was on a hunger strike to press her demands for more water to be allowed in from a neighbouring state.
On Tuesday, she too was hospitalised.
Delhi has long suffered from water scarcity and mismanagement.
Delhi politicians have been blaming each other, but both sides acknowledge the existence of what is locally known as the "water tanker mafia".
These are entrenched problems that layers of bureaucracy and governments in Delhi are far from solving, but now temperatures are rising even higher, and a very vulnerable population is on edge.
Tarun Biswas was among many who had been waiting hours in a Delhi settlement called Sanjay Camp for the government water tanker to arrive, bringing precious drinking water.
He does odd jobs like labouring to make ends meet.
"The heat here is severe. We can't send the children outside. If we go out to work one day, we have to stay home the next two because people start feeling dizzy or faint," he told the ABC.
"In one household, with four or five people, you'll get maybe four to seven litres of drinking water per day [from the tanker]… that's hardly enough," he said.
These informal urban settlements are scattered all over the city in a haphazard fashion, wherever they could squeeze in.
And recently, the residents of Sanjay Camp and Kusumpur Pahadi have been discussing little else except the water issue.
As has happened during previous periods of extreme heat and water scarcity, the so-called "water tanker mafia" has now resurfaced.
What is the 'water tanker mafia'?
Private water suppliers known as the "water tanker mafia" have been squeezing precious rupees from some of Delhi's poorest citizens.
"There are government-supplied tankers that go to areas where they're needed, but they don't always reach where they should, or don't carry enough water to meet people's needs," Ms Sharma said.
With people desperate for water, a shadow industry emerges.
"So then there's a parallel set of private tankers and hijacked government tankers, selling water at exorbitant prices to those who need it," Ms Sharma said.
Tankers are officially designated as "emergency supplies".
"They're supposed to be used when people have no other access to water. But in situations like these, they become the only source of water," Ms Sharma said.
Without water lines to their homes, residents do have to rely on water from the government tankers.
But there are only about 1,000 of those available to go around and they don't come on time, they don't always supply drinkable water, and they never dispense enough.
And when no government tankers are delivering water there's only one option left — the "water tanker mafia".
'Sometimes you won't get any water at all'
People living in these settlements bear the brunt of the crisis, often having to pool their money to pay private contractors.
"We have to wait [for the tanker] for one or two hours in the morning and evening … sometimes you'll get water in the morning and not in the evening, sometimes you won't get any water at all," said Anita Devi, another resident at Sanjay Camp.
"There's always fights breaking out. Whoever can, uses force to push and get what water they need. Whoever is weaker gets pushed to the back of the queue. Many days we come away with nothing and have to buy water," Ms Devi told the ABC.
Right now, water scarcity is so bad and temperatures are so high, residents are having to make more daily compromises.
"We do get clean water [from the tankers] sometimes, but the rest of the time it's dirty, undrinkable," Sadhna told the ABC as her family waited for the tanker to arrive in Sanjay Camp.
"We get clean water maybe once or twice a week. Other times, it's either a little yellow, or a little muddy, or smells bad."
The lack of water in this oppressive heat also means residents aren't able to wash their dishes, vegetables, clothes or even themselves everyday.
But there is hope on the horizon. While this year's monsoon is reported to be weaker than usual, it is due to hit Delhi soon.
That rain should recharge at least some of the water levels in the city, and bring some much-needed respite.
