Superquark - S22E09: Episode 9

In the ninth episode of SuperQuark, we feature the second documentary from the BBC series Land of the Monsoon. Much like the sea, which alternately drenches and dries the shore, the monsoon, after unleashing vast amounts of rain—shifts direction, bringing dry air (and drought) to those very same regions. For millennia, animals have had to contend with this sometimes abrupt seasonal transition; the resulting water scarcity creates recurring crises in which the weakest perish. Humans, too, have spent millennia adapting to this rhythmic pendulum, through their agricultural practices and their relationship with the natural world. Today, however, this balance is being challenged by development, which is increasingly encroaching upon the habitats of certain animals, such as orangutans and Bengal tigers, leaving them effectively homeless. Water, our most precious asset, is the molecule of life, yet it remains one of the planet’s most critical resources.

Cast: Piero Angela