INDIA'S SILICON VALLEY WATER CRISIS

INDIA'S Silicon Valley faces man-made water crisis.

EVERY SINGLE DAY - more than 1,000 water tankers rumble past Nagraj's small- plywood store in Bangalore, throwing up clouds of dust as they rush-

Their valuable cargo to home and offices in India's  drought-stricken tech hub.

Gleaming new apartment blocks are still springing up all over the city known as India's Silicon Valley - even though there is nowhere near enough mains water to supply those already living and working there.

Many rely entirely on supplies shipped in by tankers filled from giant borewells that have caused groundwater levels to plummet, sparking predictions that Bangalore could be the first Indian city to run out of water.

''There is severe scarcity of water here,'' said Nagraj, 30, who moved to the suburban neighborhood of Panathur a decade ago and has seen it transformed by rampant construction.

''The future will be very difficult. It is impossible to imagine how they will find water and how they will live. Even if we dig 1,500 feet [450 metres] down, we are not getting water.

Panathur lies next to Bangalore's biggest lake, Ballander, which provides a poignant reminder that things weren't always like this. 

Once known as India's garden city for its lush green parks, Bangalore was built around series of lakes created to form rainwater reservoirs and prevent the precious resources from draining away.

Lakes on Fire : many have now been concreted over to build apartment block with names like Bream Acres and Strawberry Fields to house the workers who have flocked here during India's outsourcing boom. [Agencies]