India: Dying of thirst

Pollution and an exploding population are drying the subcontinent as never before. Experts warn the problem may only have just begun

BATHINDA, India

The 34-year-old owns a boring machine and rents it to farmers, who use it to dig for water. Raj’s cellphone begins trilling at around 7 a.m. and doesn’t stop until late in the evening. There’s a wait time of at least a month for his machine.

“They are all so grim on the phone,” Raj says, standing in the shade of a tree next to a rice paddy. Raj himself has no reason to be morose. He charges customers as much as 600,000 rupees ($14,000) and has just bought a new house, car and TV/entertainment system with his profits.

Toronto Star