Bountiful rain is both life-giver and life-taker
When the rains came in early this year and cut short a painful summer marked by soaring temperatures, people across the country heaved a sigh of relief. But even before one could really soak in that distinctive smell of the first rain or enjoy the lush greens outside that had taken on a life of their own, there is news of cloud bursts and overflowing rivers; of torrential downpours and flash floods. Heavy rains across north India have already claimed the lives of more than 70 people while as many as 70,000, many of them pilgrims visiting shrines in the Himalayas, remain stranded. From Uttarakhand to Himachal Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh, entire towns and villages have been flooded while buildings, bridges and roads have caved in. National Highway 73 is under water while the airport in Delhi resembles a ferry service area. Given how quickly the situation changed, how suddenly photographs of children playing in the rain have been replaced in newspapers by those of soldiers carrying out rescue operations in flood-hit areas, it is a reminder of how powerful nature can be. Yet, nature’s fury is no excuse for human helplessness. While one can do little to control the tides of nature, steps can and must be taken to improve our response to situations such as these, so as to minimise loss to human life and property. The ongoing tragedy is a grim reminder of the disasters which await us if we continue to damage forested areas and indiscriminately dam the free flow of rivers. Meanwhile, our urban planning is so pathetic that cities are getting increasingly flooded. This is largely due to the absence of a poor drainage system. In Delhi, for instance, much of the water-logging problem can be dealt with if the three barrages in the city are desilted and more reservoirs are built. These reservoirs can also play a crucial role in ensuring uninterrupted water supply during the hot summer months, as well as help irrigate fields in case of delayed monsoons. The plight of Mumbai is no different from that of Delhi.
On the positive side, ample rains at the start of the sowing season are crucial to a good ‘Kharif’ harvest — one of the main reasons why the early monsoon has also brought good cheer this year. In a primarily rain-fed agricultural country like ours, where the farm sector makes up for about 15 per cent of India's two trillion dollar economy, a good monsoon has a direct impact on the country's Gross Domestic Product. In fact, given how the rains have broken all records this year — bringing in 68 per cent more than the normal volume for this time of the year and also covering the entire country as early as June 16, a month before the usual date — farmers and policy-makers are already hoping for a bumper harvest. The rains should also help ease food inflation as well as boost the purchasing power of a large segment of Indian consumers. After all, agriculture and allied sectors employ almost 50 per cent of the population.