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India is a good example of a country that faces the paradox of water shortages and monsoons in the same year. There is an acute water scarcity in several urban and rural areas within India, despite the pounding rains and flooding brought on by the monsoon season. This kind of flooding can overwhelm the groundwater supply for a region and threaten water quality. It is not enough for a region to receive good annual rainfall if that precipitation is concentrated in only a few intense spells each year. This kind of rain runs off rapidly, and is not effective at replenishing groundwater reserves. For their parts, cities often have not maintained the infrastructure necessary to harvest water.