India, April 6 -- Last Thursday's unseasonal rain in Pune once again brought the city to a halt. Waterlogged roads, traffic snarls, choked drains, and scattered power disruptions followed within hours. The images were familiar, almost routine.

But this time, it is worth asking a harder question: is the city failing, or are we underestimating how rain itself has changed?

Because the nature of rainfall is no longer what it used to be.

Over the past few years, Pune and much of Maharashtra have seen a shift from steady, predictable monsoon showers to short, intense bursts of rain. These high-intensity spells dump large volumes of water in a very short time. Even well-designed urban systems can struggle under such a sudden load.

Last Thurs...