India, June 5 -- The fields in Bundelkhand are cracked and dry, their crops withered long before harvest. In Marathwada, wells have become gaping hollows, deep but empty, and farmers watch their borewells fail one after another. In western Rajasthan, grazing pastures turn to dust, forcing families to sell livestock at throwaway prices. This is the everyday reality in India's drought-prone regions - a slow-moving emergency that is hollowing out rural life.

Water scarcity here is not a bad year or two; it is a relentless cycle. Nearly 68% of the country's net sown area is now vulnerable to climate shocks, with recurring droughts and weather extremes crippling farm incomes, pushing millions into poverty, and shaving significant points off t...