Prolonged droughts likely ended the megacities of Indus Valley Civilisation: Study Premium

According to a new study, a series of severe and lengthy droughts may have caused the decline of the Indus Civilization cities

A series of severe and lengthy droughts may have caused the decline of the Indus Civilization cities, according to a study which looked into ancient rock formation from a cave in Uttarakhand.

The beginning of this arid period—starting at around 4,200 years ago and lasting for over two centuries—coincides with the reorganisation of the metropolis-building Indus Civilization, which spanned present-day Pakistan and India.

Also read: Climate change likely led to fall of Indus Valley Civilisation, says Study 

The research, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, identified three protracted droughts—each lasting between 25 and 90 years—during this arid period.

"We find clear evidence that this interval was not a short-term crisis but a progressive transformation of the environmental conditions in which Indus people lived," said study co-author Cameron Petrie, Professor at the University of Cambridge, UK.

The researchers charted historic rainfall by examining growth layers in a stalagmite — a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave — collected from a cave near Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.

Also read: Cattle, buffalo meat residue found in Indus Valley vessels