Water tankers prove a lifeline for India's parched villages

Almost 40 government-run tankers deliver water seven days a week between March and June, when water is at its scarcest in India. [AFP]

As Gajanand Dukre parks the water tanker in a drought-stricken Indian village, dozens of locals -- mostly women in saris -- come running with jerry cans, buckets and stainless steel pots.

Over the next two hours Dukre helps them empty the 12,000-litre (3,170-gallon) tank, providing a lifeline to this small community as India reels from one of its worst droughts in years.