Kharagpur, April 16: Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kharagpur have discovered that the Indus Valley civilisation was wiped out 4,350 years ago by a 900-year-long drought. Earlier it was believed that the drought lasted for only about 200 years, but according to an evidence gathered during the study has put an end to this theory. The study will be published in the prestigious Quaternary International Journal by Elsevier this month, reported The Times of India.

Study of the variability of monsoon for the past 5,000 years is being undertaken by researchers from the geology and geophysics department of the IIT Kharagpur. In the study It is found that the rains were absent in the northwest Himalayas for 900 long years. It dried up the source of water of the rivers along which the civilisation flourished. This forced inhabitants towards the east and south, towards the area with better rain conditions.

Anil Kumar Gupta, the lead researcher and a senior faculty of geology at the institute said, “The study revealed that from 2,350 BC (4,350 years ago) till 1,450 BC, the monsoon had a major weakening effect over the zone where the civilisation flourished. A drought-like situation developed, forcing residents to abandon their settlements in search of greener pastures,” reported The Times of India. Gupta further added that these displaced people gradually migrated towards the Ganga-Yamuna valley towards eastern and central UP; Bihar and Bengal in the east; MP, south of Vindhyachal and south Gujarat in the south.

Facts to know about Indus Valley Civilisaton:

Indus Valley civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation that existed between 3300 BC to 1300 BC. This civilization has a population of around five million during its peak. A total of 1,022 cities and settlements had been found by 2008. The Indus cities are noted for their urban planning, baked brick houses, elaborate drainage systems, water supply systems, and clusters of large non-residential buildings. Due to drought the inhabitants of the civilization moved towards the Ganges basin in the east.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 16, 2018 06:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).