Meghalaya’s paradox: too much rain, too little water
Despite being one of the wettest places on Earth, the Sohra region in Meghalaya faces severe water shortages during winter months. The lack of infrastructure to store monsoon rainfall has led to a reliance on purchased water for local residents.
Why it matters
This highlights the critical gap between climate abundance and water security, emphasizing the need for better water management infrastructure in high-rainfall regions.
By November, the streams around Sohra begin to fall silent. The rivers that roared through the monsoon thin to a trickle and then to nothing, and the springs that families have drawn from for generations turn seasonal. By deep winter, in a town that holds two world records for rainfall, people are buying water by the bucket.
A bucket carted up from the plains costs anywhere between ₹20 and ₹50, depending on the month. Some households pay close to a thousand rupees for 500 litres. The residents of Sohra, the town the world still calls Cherrapunji, describe the shortage plainly: from November to March, water is something you purchase. What was once perennial is now seasonal. What was once shared is now sold.
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