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Retreating Monsoons in India Wreck Flood Havoc

Anjana Pasricha

   NEW DELHI - This is the time of year when monsoons in India are usually
   retreating. But torrential rains in the last three days have killed
   over a hundred people, inundated a major city, disrupted rail and road
   traffic, and caused widespread havoc in two of the country's poorest
   states -- Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

   The latest deluge in northern India brought fresh warnings from climate
   experts that extreme weather events have become more common and pose a
   major challenge to the country's crowded and often unplanned cities.

   "There is absolutely no doubt now that we have seen a dramatic shift in
   the rainfall pattern. In a very short duration, you have large rainfall
   which is overwhelming the entire catchment and the drainage system,"
   said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general at the Center for Science
   and Environment in New Delhi.

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