"When we buy water in drums or pitchers from Wasa, the workers demand extra money from us," said Tahera Khatun, a housewife of Lalbagh in Old Dhaka.

Tahera is not alone. Some other residents of crisis-prone city areas, talking to Star City, have also complained of toll-taking against the Wasa staff.

As people cannot manage to bring water home from zonal offices by van, they contact middlemen, known as panidalals, who collect water for them with the help of pump workers.

"It has become a source of additional income for local Wasa workers," an official said.

Aminur Rahman of Lalbagh in Old Dhaka said: "It is much easier to collect water if we seek help from the middlemen. They take extra money and help us bring water home."

"The Wasa staff supplies water not only to residences but to businesses like hotels, restaurants, shops and offices," said Amirul Islam who runs a small hotel in Mirpur.

Sources said, van drivers demand Tk 200 from hoteliers and Tk 100-150 from residents as ‘tips’ for a van of water.

The water crisis goes unchecked in the city, as demand has increased 10 percent this summer and the ground water level has dipped further.

Wasa that depends on groundwater for 85 percent of the demand and surface water for the rest supplies 150 crore litres of water to 1.25 crore residents who need about 200 crore litres a day.

After mapping last month, Wasa identified Mirpur, Kuril Badda, Goran, Sabujbagh, Mugda, Lalbagh, Nawabganj, Dhanmondi and Rayer Bazar as crisis-prone areas, with some hardest-hit.

Residents of Rayer Bazar, Sultanganj, Manipuripara, Ahmadnagar, Sipaibagh, Niketan, Mollartek and Rampura are also bracing for a serious water crisis.

Wasa has 20 vans to supply water to the residents. "The crisis has deepened further as Wasa now runs only six water vans," a source said, adding: "Other vans went out of order. We need at least 150 vans to meet demand in the city."

Wasa officials said water production is hampered by routine power failures and technical glitches of rundown pumps. "We are short of 60 crore litres of water a day, but water shortage goes higher when pumps remain inoperative because of power cuts," said a Wasa official who did not want to be named.

A top Wasa official said he is aware of the situation and planned to solve the crisis by installing more tube-wells and pumps in crisis-hit areas.