Ankara Residents Digging Wells, Trucking In Supplies, Showering w. Aquarium Water - Reuters

ANKARA - Residents of Ankara are travelling to nearby towns and digging wells in their gardens in search of water to beat a city-wide drought in the Turkish capital. One man resorted to using water from his home aquarium for a much-needed shower.

Amid howls of protest, mayor Melih Gokcek apologised to Ankara's four million residents on Friday and said water supplies had resumed for an indefinite period though the drought continues unabated. "I apologise to our citizens for putting them in this difficulty ... No mayor, no official with a conscience can want Ankara to suffer such a water disaster," said Gokcek. There would be no water cuts for the next 10 days, he promised in a statement.

Ankara began water rationing 10 days ago after levels in reservoirs feeding the city fell to just four percent of capacity, leaving water only for two more months. The shortage was exacerbated this week when a major pipeline burst.

With temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius and staying clean becoming a real problem, need has spawned ingenius ideas to beat the crisis. "I last washed six days ago. My body was itching and I had no choice but to use the water in the aquarium at home to take a shower," said Ayhan Akdogan, an estate agent.

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