Throughout India, the number of days with very heavy rains has increased over the last century. At the same time, the dry spells between storms have gotten longer. Showers that reliably penetrate the soil are less common. For a country that relies on rain for the vast share of its water, that combination is potentially ruinous. Decades of short-sighted government policies are leaving millions defenseless in the age of climate disruptions – especially the country’s poor. The monsoon is central to Indian life and lore. It turns up in ancient Sanskrit poetry and in Bollywood films. It shapes the fortunes of millions of farmers who rely on the rains to nourish their fields. It governs what you eat. It even has its own music. Monsoon rainwater and the swollen Mithi River flooded parts of Mumbai in August. Climate change is now messing with the monsoon, making seasonal rains more […]