The timelapse imagery of Chennai's disappearing reservoirs is mind boggling. That's roughly 3 billion cubic feet of water gone in less than a year https://t.co/NcwvYkNrcr pic.twitter.com/hEdu7SXOCC — Brian L Kahn (@blkahn) June 21, 2019

India is currently faced with the worst water crisis in its history, coupled with some predictions of a sub-normal monsoon in 2019. With Chennai’s own water sources drying up, Tamil Nadu’s capital is one of the most severely-affected areas.

Gizmodo writer Brian L Kahn recently posted a time-lapse video of Chennai’s reservoirs drying up over the course of a year. The water crisis has not only impaired the daily life of city residents, but also affected businesses, including information technology and hospitality. Water supply in Chennai’s four reservoirs has dropped below 1% of their capacity, resulting in the acute crisis in the city. Chennai lost three billion cubic feet of water in less than a year, Kahn wrote.

If the timelapse of Chennai’s main reservoir disappearing doesn’t get you, the before and after will (this incidentally is my first pass processing satellite imagery) pic.twitter.com/oGrVq8uwpo — Brian L Kahn (@blkahn) June 22, 2019

According to a NITI Aayog report, 21 Indian cities, including Chennai, will run out of groundwater by 2020 because of unsustainable use, without sufficient efforts at replenishment.