One of India’s largest cities, home to nearly five million people, is running out of water as the main reserve is drying up.

Satellite surveys from June 2019 show Chennai’s main rain-fed reservoir Lake Puzhal is a fraction of what it was this time last year.

All four of the city’s primary reserves are almost dry, meaning that four million people are dependent on non-potable water collected from makeshift wells. The Chennai Metro Water has cut the water it provides by 40 per cent.

Shortages started several weeks ago and the government has been heavily criticised for relying on the arrival of the monsoon instead of taking action. The rains are unreliable and have been late for several years in a row.

The delayed monsoon has left millions of people without water as devastating heatwaves sweep across the country, killing hundreds.

Indian city Chennai running out of water Show all 12 1 /12 Indian city Chennai running out of water Indian city Chennai running out of water Puzhal reservoir in Chennai, India before the drought and in its current state meaning millions of people are turning to water tank trucks as house and hotel taps have run dry Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2019 Indian workers collect water from the Puzhal reservoir AFP/Getty Images Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2018 This June 15, 2018, Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows Puzhal reservoir in Chennai, India before the drought. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. (Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies via AP) Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2019 The drought is the worst in living memory for the bustling capital of Tamil Nadu state Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water Indian residents get water from a community well in Chennai after reservoirs for the city ran dry AFP/Getty Images Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2018 This June 15, 2018, satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows Puzhal reservoir, Chennai, India before draught. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. (Satellite image Â©2019 Maxar Technologies via AP) Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water April 2019 This April 6, 2019, satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows Puzhal reservoir in Chennai, India during drought. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. (Satellite image Â©2019 Maxar Technologies via AP) Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2019 This June 15, 2019, Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows Puzhal reservoir in Chennai, India during the drought. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. (Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies via AP) Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2019 This June 15, 2019, Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows Puzhal reservoir in Chennai, India during the drought. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. (Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies via AP) Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2019 People sit around a tower for measuring water depth in the dried-up Puzhal reservoir Reuters Indian city Chennai running out of water Indians stand in queues to fill vessels filled with drinking water from a water tanker in Chennai AP Indian city Chennai running out of water A man walks through the dried-up Puzhal reservoir, Reuters

Poor urban development in Chennai also means water is not recycled and rainwater is not collected.

Earlier this month in Churu in Rajasthan, the temperature hit 50C which is just shy of India’s all-time high recorded in 2016.

The health ministry issued advice for staying safe in rising temperatures. They included avoiding the sun between noon and 3pm and refraining from drinking alcohol, tea and coffee.

The heatwave is part of a trend of rising temperatures in India.

Last year was the sixth-warmest since national record-keeping began in 1901 and 11 of the 15 warmest years on record have all occurred since 2004.