KIRDASA, Egypt — Six months into her pregnancy, Tahani Rabia continues to ignore doctor's orders and rises before dawn every morning, praying that when she turns on the tap the water will flow.
But more often than not, the rusty tap runs dry in her little home a mere 10 kilometres (six miles) from the Nile River.
"The doctor told me I had to rest, but I get up around 5:00 am because if there is any water in the pipes it runs out by seven," said the veiled 18-year-old, who lives on the outskirts of Kirdasa in Egypt's Giza governorate.
"I can't carry water back from the Nile because it's too heavy with the baby and it's not suitable to drink anyway, so I store as much as I can from the tap and ration our daily use," she explained.
