Thirsty Indian metropolis finds an answer in the rain

Five years ago, the Mylapore temple tank – a man-made pond located at the ancient Kapaleeswarar Temple in the south Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras) – was little more than a vast, dry bed of cracked clay. Neighborhood boys traipsed down the symmetrical steps to the rectangular reservoir, the famed venue of religious “float” festivals, to play their evening game of cricket.