Are we waiting for the well to run dry?

Embraced by the snowy arms of the Himalayas, Shimla sits at an average altitude of 2,200 meters. Developed by the British colonial rulers as the summer capital of India in the 19th century, Shimla boasts a UNESCO World Heritage Site - as part of the Mountain Himalayan Railways of India - and beautiful colonial architecture.

And for generations it has served as a hill station retreat for tens of thousands of Indian and foreign tourists every year, who are drawn to its subtropical highland climate and the snow-capped peaks surrounding it. In other words, tourism is the lifeblood of the city's economy.

But now Shimla's residents are begging tourists (through social media platforms) to stay away, and that too at the beginning of the peak tourist season. Why? Because of an acute water shortage.