Had the Gujarat State Water Supply and Sewerage Board (GSWSSB) repaired this leak, some 5,000 people in Surendranagar would have been going thirsty. Living on the outskirts of the town, it is a routine for women of this middle-class locality of Khann to spend hours standing by the leaking pipeline. And fights are common too. The pipeline supplies water from Dholi Dhaja dam to surrounding villages. If there was no leak, people here would have had to drink extremely brackish water from hand pumps. "Our battle to get water from the leakage starts at 5 am. The flow is just a trickle, testing everyone's patience. And because fights are common, we prefer to use steel pots. They don't break in a scuffle,' says one of the residents, Gauri Gardharia. The residents had collected money a decade ago to construct embankment around the leakage area so that we could collect water and reduce wastage. "We have to spare four hours daily just to fetch water,' says Kavita Pagi. "The amount of drinking water we collect depends on luck. I have to get up early so that I can fill my vessels before everyone else pounces on the leakage. The one who reaches there early gets the benefit. Moreover, it also depends on the amount of water in the pipeline,' she says. "Frankly, we trust the leakage more than politicians. So many of them promised us water and took our votes, but not a single politician has kept his word,' says Jamanaben Gardhariya. "Don't poor people deserve clean drinking water?' Residents fear complaining about the lack of drinking water facilities. "We might not even have access to the leaking water if we complain. Officials blocked another water leakage a fortnight ago,' says Jasu Garudia. "The area does not get water because it is not in our jurisdiction, but we plan to give connections soon,' says Jaushubha Zala, president of Suendranagar nagarpalika.