The monsoon is hugely important to the Indian agricultural sector that sustains the majority of our population; it impacts every aspect of our lives. Hugely dependent as we are on the monsoon, we still have no systems in place that help to optimize the use of rain water and we have trouble dealing with the rain each and every year. Why is it that we witness flood or flood like situations in several parts of the county each year? Why is it that our much lauded metros come a grinding halt every time where there is more than just a drizzle?
The inundation of #Gurugram
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Most of us have seen images of the horrific traffic jams in Gurgaon (four hours to drive six km was a common story). However, when it lasted about 24 hours, many chose to abandon their vehicles and wade home. Like some remote flood hit village, food and water packets were being distributed to those stuck in the jams. Drains were choked, roads were flooded and sewage was swirling with the rain water. Schools were shut, people were asked to skip work and paved medians were broken in places to divert traffic.
#BengaluruRains were no better handled
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Bangalore was inundated as well. Three of its lakes overflowed, residential areas where submerged and some first floor houses were evacuated. People were stranded for hours, had to be given fresh water and biscuits and boats were used to rescue stranded people.
Recurring rain woes in Mumbai
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The story is the same in Mumbai every single year. Flooded streets, sewage on the water logged streets, the local trains being submerged, people wading in waist deep water and regular life grinding to a halt. Some years it is worse than other years but it happens each year.
Flooding in Assam
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With all the attention the metros are receiving, there is little coverage being given to the flood hit of Assam. Lakhs have been displaced, 150 villages have been evacuated at least 19 people have died in the past few days because of the flood situation. Assam’s wildlife sanctuaries; home to 80% of the world population of one horned rhinos are also flooded; rhinos have died or been pushed out of their habitat. This is the worst flood in Kaziranga since 1988 and we hardly seem bothered!
Why we are not better prepared?
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Each natural disaster exposes the problems created by unchecked urban development and apathy in rural areas. Certainly the government can be blamed for inadequate infrastructure, poor drainage systems and slow, apathetic responses to disasters.
But what about us citizens? We need to take equal responsibility. We dispose garbage irresponsibly which clogs drains. Officials are bribed to get clearances for illegal constructions to assuage our greed to buy property. We shrug off warnings and break rules with impunity. Lakes, water channels, natural monsoon run offs, ponds and embankments have all but disappeared in our cities. Natural ponds and lakes have been filled up in cities such as Gurgaon, Bangalore and Ahmedabad to make way for new construction. In Mumbai the mudflats, salt pans and mangroves have shrunk. We saw how unchecked and irresponsible constructions in our hills caused the disastrous floods in Uttarakhand.
We are shocked and dismayed; but only for a while. The authorities put a few band-aid solutions in place; woefully inadequate as well. When the monsoon waters recede we all forget about the horrors we witnessed or experienced; until the next heavy rains and we are all inundated all over again.
Author – Reena Daruwalla
