Pouring trouble

Pouring trouble

Though the rain comes as a relief, the administration’s apathy is a reason for worry.

It is raining cats and dogs in Delhi. That is correct: Delhi, not Mumbai. #Delhirains is trending. The national Capital is witnessing one of the heaviest rains ever for the last couple of days. The intermittent rains have played havoc with the civic amenities. According to the Meteorological department, Delhi has witnessed such rainfall after 19 years and the fifth in an all-time high in a single day. Late monsoon rains have brought relief from the heat and sultry weather that prevailed almost through August. It is time to welcome the rains and brace up for the hardships it brings along — waterlogging, traffic snarls; actually a nightmare for the last three days, and even the fatal risk of electrocution from the loose hanging electric wires. Twitter is flooded with pictures and videos of waterlogging. People are making videos while stuck in traffic for hours. Somehow, it is the same old story every monsoon; authorities just cannot fix the city’s waterlogging. Hundreds of crores of rupees literally go down the drain in the name of mending potholes and cleaning drains every year but, come rain, they stand exposed. However, this time it is even worse owing to the heavy rains. Boats were plying on Delhi’s roads on September 1.

The rainwater entered several public buildings, throwing normal life out of gear. The Capital is already on ‘orange alert’ as the Indian Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rains and thunderstorms in the coming days. “Thunderstorm with moderate to heavy-intensity rain would occur over and adjoining areas of most places of Delhi …” the IMD posted on Twitter. As Delhiites reel under the threat of heavy rains, they can have a sigh of relief on one count. After the onslaught of the second wave of Coronavirus, the city reported zero deaths and only 36 new cases on September 1. It is indeed good news as the schools have just reopened in the Capital: Though not many children came to school, one for the apprehension of the third wave of COVID-19 and second for the rains. Hopefully, things should ease in the coming days as the monsoon normally retreats in September. Nevertheless, the civic authorities would do well to monitor post-monsoon diseases, such as dengue, and take appropriate measures to ward off another spell of health emergency rather than press the panic button after the damage is done.