Water in South Asia.

• Position: TALKING PICTURES - Brief Article

Water is not a sure thing in South Asia. Some places normally receive 80 inches of rainfall every year, and monsoons flood vast areas. But drought is now common, too. Karachi, in Pakistan, can deliver less than three-fourths of the water its people need. Shortages also loom widely elsewhere, driven by climate change, depletion of aquifers, and leaky infrastructure. People make do: they pay "tanker mafias" for reliable deliveries to households or small businesses, and they grab "free" water when it escapes. Often they go...