What would you do if it rained almost every day for months? In Mawsynram, a village in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, that is simply normal life.
How the monsoon arrives
Every summer, India waits eagerly for the south-west monsoon, the season of rain-bearing winds. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the usual date for the monsoon to reach Kerala is 1 June. From there it spreads across the country, bringing water for farms, rivers, lakes and wells. In a few places, like Mawsynram, it pours far more than in most of India.
A record-breaking village
Mawsynram holds a Guinness World Record for the highest average yearly rainfall: about 11,873 millimetres. That is nearly 12 metres of rain in a year! If none of it drained away, the water would be about as deep as a four-storey building is tall.
Its neighbour Cherrapunji, about 15 kilometres away, used to claim the title, and the two places have long competed for it. A few places in Colombia, in South America, also report very high rainfall, so Mawsynram is best described as one of the wettest places on Earth.
In Mawsynram, the monsoon lasts about six months, and the wettest months are June and July.
Living with the rain
People here have clever ways to cope.
- Knups: Women make rain covers called knups from bamboo strips, broom grass and plastic sheets. A knup looks like a turtle’s shell and covers the wearer like one. Each takes at least an hour to make.
- Quieter roofs: Some villagers lay grass on their roofs to soften the loud drumming of the rain, though a heavy downpour can knock it loose.
- Clouds indoors: Clouds sometimes drift right into homes, leaving a damp film on the furniture!
- Getting ready: Each winter, families repair their roofs and store firewood and food grains before the long rains return.
Wonder about: If you lived in Mawsynram, what would you invent to stay dry on your way to school?