In 2009, several parts of the country that were never water-stressed faced a drought situation.
This brought home to many Indians the stark reality of climate change and the need to tackle
the problem before it turns into a full-fledged crisis. People in rural India, especially farmers who
are completely dependent on monsoons and irrigation for livelihoods, have been familiar with the
evidence of climate change for some time now. But for sleeping policymakers and urban India, the
wildly swinging weather in 2009 is a wakeup call.