Due to extreme heat and drought in India, the country's government is debating enacting fees to reduce water use.

A record heat wave and growing water crisis in India are forcing politicians to consider implementing user fees and other measures to conserve water.

During the last several weeks, record high temperatures in several areas have been blamed for dozens of deaths across the country. In the western city of Ahmedabad, at least 20 people have died and hundreds have been hospitalized from the heat, Channel NewsAsia reported. And in the eastern state of Orissa, 14 people died in five days from the searing temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the Press Trust of India.

Meanwhile drying rivers are causing regional water shortages. And in Nagpur, an urban area of 2.4 million in central India, the heat wave has triggered a fuel crisis as rail wagons that normally transport petroleum have been pressed into service to carry water instead.

To cope, the Indian government is drafting a new water policy that could create user fees for water-intensive sectors, such as agriculture, to deal with the crisis.

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