This region fueled India’s population boom. Now it’s in danger.
(a tradition that harks back to the Indus Valley Civilizations.) Sources Information on the Rakhigarhi from Nature Journal and well as Outlook India article: Recent Excavations In Haryanas Rakhigarhi Throw New Light On Indus Valley Civilisation. Sources to understand the monsoon system of the IGP as well as the effects of air pollution and climate change on the people there: Indian Meteorological Department Study: Accumulation of aerosols over the Indo-Gangetic plains and southern slopes of the Himalayas: distribution, properties and radiative effects during the 2009 pre-monsoon SeasonStudy: Air Pollution in the Hindu Kush Himalaya Article: On The Gangetic Plain, 600 Million Indians Feel Effects Of Air Pollution And Changing Climate Article: 3,026 people, 2 million ha crops: How 314 days of extreme weather events affected India in 2022 . Information on how Indus Valley civilizations diversified crops: Article: Seeds of urbanism: palaeoethnobotany and the Indus Civilization . Reduction in life expectancy in the IGP due to bad air quality sources: Study: Reduction in Near-Surface Wind Speeds With Increasing CO2 May Worsen Winter Air Quality in the Indo-Gangetic Plain Article: Life expectancy in Indo-Gangetic Plain Down up to Seven Years . Information on Indias vulnerability to climate change and the state of food security in India: Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative . Study: Food insecurity in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic plain: Taking a closer look . Credits Reporting and illustration by Kay Sohini Sen. Reporting by Ruby Mellen. Editing by Hannah Good, Samuel Granados, Reem Akkad and Christine Ashack. Development by Julia Ledur. Copy editing by Jill Martin, Paola Ruano and Shibani Shah.