Shimla, June 12 Residents of Shimla, the former summer capital of the British Raj, are craving for water, not exactly for the first time. So are the tourists, whose influx has reached an all-time high with the northern states seeing the hottest summer.
A majority of localities in the picturesque hill station are facing the worst water crisis, getting potable water once or twice a week.
The reason: Most of the water channels in Shimla and its suburbs, which are normally quenching the thirst of the people, have dried up this summer largely owing to the intense heat and deficit rainfall in the past three months.
Locals say for Shimla, which supports more than 450 hotels, restaurants and guesthouses, water crisis is an annual feature, even in winter. They say the problem aggravates with the spike in tourist footfall.
Planned by the British for a maximum population of 16,000, Shimla is now home to 2.47 lakh people with a floating population of 75,000 as per the 2011 Census.
These days as life in the plains of northern India has become unbearable with the temperature hovering over 42 degree in several places, Himachal Pradesh's tourist resorts, including the state capital, are luring visitors.
"It's really pleasant to be here
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