Thousands took to the streets of the capital on Thursday in South Delhi to protest the water situation. While the Chief Minister has admitted that there is little that can be done at the moment except conserve water and power, for many the situation is desperate.

Arvind Singh likes to use real life examples to teach physics to his class 11 students but at home in Sangam Vihar in South Delhi he is busy teaching his daughter how to conserve water and this is the reason Singh and 34 others in this apartment complex get their water from an underground tank. But recent erratic power cuts have meant their water pumps have not worked.

"When there is no power, there is no water and we have to make do with just a bucket of water. There are days when we cannot even have a bath for days," says Arvind Singh.

With the soaring mercury, the demand for both water and electricity has shot up. On Wednesday thousands of residents here had blocked the main road for 6 hours to protest for water.

The shortage of drinking water has given rise to private suppliers and the hottest selling items are the water packets priced between 1-2 rupees. Shops here sell 150 to 200 of them everyday.

Arvind has often had to buy water at the shop but he is fortunate. Many others who cannot afford it simply wait in long lines waiting for the tankers to arrive.

"At times the crowds are so large that fights break out," says a local.

Over 4 lakh people live in Delhi's Sangam Vihar, a largely unauthorised colony. Those who are lucky get some water from government and private tankers, but with soaring demands, there clearly isn't enough to go around.