They get their daily dose of complaints from the consumers when water is not released on time, but salaries are still a far cry for these workers. The staff of the water supply departments of Karnataka state's various gram panchayats are certainly not in an enviable position. They are at the receiving end of consumer complaints and have to bear the pile of abuses from the consumers, who are not being supplied with adequate water due to a severe shortage following the three-year consecutive drought. The staff, on the other hand, say that they are being treated like slaves and question as to how can they release water if there is no water at all.