While India is pummeled by a severe heat wave and water shortages, a state minister in India urged car workshops to only ‘dry wash’ vehicles from now on.

Hilly state Uttarakhand in India has had water shortages for some time. This water crisis, doubled with lower rainfall and snowfall these winters, has prompted the state government to ban the washing of cars using water.

In a virtual meeting on Saturday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami instructed all District Magistrates (DMs) to ensure that the cars in workshops are “dry washed” instead of using water. News website Live Mint is reporting about the situation.

In the meeting, the chief minister said, “Water conservation is a challenge for us. Therefore, arrangements for rainwater harvesting and solar energy will be made in all government buildings.”

Many water basins throughout the country are currently at 30% of the capacity. Water shortages are also reported in many other Indian states.

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