The recent monsoon crisis has led to the recognition of water as the primary moving force in our lives. It can make or break areas, localities, townships, neighbourhoods, politicians, governments. Apppended to any other word, like theft, supply, tanker, scarcity, riot, it assumes humungous propertions.

As Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation employs water cuts to tide over the water shortage crisis, the city continues to reel relentlessly. Everyone talks about it all the time.

Mumbai needs 3,400 MLD water per day and never gets enough. It falls short regularly as the BMC barely supplies 3,100 MLD of water. Water thefts by slum dwellers and illegal residents poaching water from common lines; water mafia stocking and selling it at a premium to the affected, corruption in the wwater department, all are par for the course in Mumbai. Yet some areas have all the water they need – and more. Care to guess which ones and why?