Analysis of monsoon data pertaining to the past 45 years by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has revealed that while rainfall has shown an increasing trend in northwest India, there has been a decline in the Gangetic Plains – considered the food bowl of India. This has serious implications not only for food security, but also impacts irrigation infrastructure and groundwater resources.

“The Gangetic plain drying trend during monsoon season is a severe concern, because the rain during the summer monsoon not only affects the kharif crops sown during the concurrent summer season, but also the rabi crops sown during the succeeding winter season harvests,” the study states.

“The drying trend puts massive pressure on irrigation infrastructure, resulting in a heavy load on the power

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