The Indus Valley Civilisation probably didn’t disappear all at once. New research points to a long stretch of repeated droughts that may have slowly weakened one of the world’s earliest urban societies. Cities such as Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, once built around reliable rivers, appear to have struggled as water became harder to find. As conditions worsened, people began to move away, settlements declined, and everyday life grew uncertain. It’s striking to realise how deeply something as ordinary as rainfall could shape the fate of an entire civilisation. Researchers believe the damage unfolded over many decades, with early changes so gradual they may have gone almost unnoticed at first.
