What after the deluge

AS I sit down to write this column, I’m mopping my brow since Delhi’s sultry weather has crossed all limits. Yet, even as I complain, I’m deeply aware of what those whose homes and shops have been swept away must be going through. Can you imagine the plight of parents and children, confused and angry at the fury of the rain and the lack of sufficient help by the State? I cannot bear to turn on the news as I eat my dinner in an air-conditioned room to see displaced families forced to sleep with no food, water or proper shelter being eaten alive by mosquitoes, dreading the time when they will have to clear their damaged homes of the mud and sludge that has destroyed years of work. Granted that this year’s deluge was the worst seen by Delhi in almost 50 years, but how can the government be absolved of its responsibility to ensure that drains and sewers are cleaned and de-silted in time? Equally to blame is the Home Ministry that is in charge of the Capital region where important ministries and national institutions (Parliament, Supreme Court et al) are located. Yet, more time was spent in arguing over who has control over New Delhi’s administration. The ordinance brought in by the Union government to take charge of the Union Territory saw bitter wars but when it came to actually dealing with the flooded Yamuna, it was evident that no one wanted to own responsibility. Once again, it were the Good Samaritans among us who provided vital help that should have been the State’s remit.

Those who wish us to elect them in 2024 blather on about the level of human suffering in various parts of the country, citing ominous data on fascist tendencies that are tearing India apart. I have yet to see even one of them visit a relief shelter or camp to see this suffering first-hand. And those who do are so busy posing for the cameras and giving sound bytes to the paparazzi that follows them loyally that they avoid any live contact. Helicopters don’t ask uncomfortable questions, nor do private jets.

Most of us now live in gated communities: we only see our own little world. I live in Noida where the Yamuna is just a short distance away. Over the years, slowly and surreptitiously, farm houses, nurseries and even small illegal colonies have sprouted up on both sides of the river. All political parties have merrily broken environmental laws, given builders permission to build on land that was clearly unsafe for high-rise apartments and neglected the yearly upkeep of drains and underground sewage lines. So, from Uttarakhand to Mumbai, the rivers have decided it is payback time. The fury of the monsoons, coupled with the rampant violation of sound advice, has led to a situation that now is beyond repair.

Let’s forget the blame game for a moment and look at solutions that can reverse or retrieve the situation. I have a few and I am sure my readers will add a few more. First, we need to lighten the human load on our cities. This will mean building satellite townships within easy commuting distance with an efficient public transport system, and clearing all the flood plains of our rivers of the illegal constructions that have been allowed to come up by complicit officials. In Delhi, this means even iconic buildings such as the Akshardham Temple and the Commonwealth Games Village. In other places, this can be ensuring that all the natural ponds and lakes that once contained excess water are restored or new ones created to hold the rainwater that collects on roads and low-lying colonies when it cannot find a natural space. Spend money on buying the best equipment to clear choked drains and sewage lines that are otherwise cleaned by human beings who often lose their lives to toxic fumes. Now that we have seen a great interest in creating infrastructure, how about systematically laying fresh drainage lines to relieve the pressure on the antiquated ones that were laid down more than a century ago? Mumbai is a prime example where the richest civic body in the country flounders helplessness in the face of its yearly monsoon woes. Seek the help of RWAs and citizens’ groups to take responsibility for ensuring that maintenance is carried out regularly. Involving citizens is always a great idea, for it ensures the kind of close supervision that is never done by the sarkari types.

Nothing can be done in one go: this will have to be a sustained campaign that will require close monitoring by experts. We have some excellent people who have worked for years on matters of the environment and climate change. It is not as if they have not sought to bring attention to these concerns, but no one listens seriously to their suggestions. Huge reports compiled by such organisations of experts lie buried because often the problem is deemed solved simply by writing about it. We have the expertise to send satellites to space and some of the best meteorological software in the world. Instead of boasting about these in election speeches, perhaps our politicians need to listen to what they have been saying for a very long time. Do something to mend your ways or half of our coastline and most of our mountains will vanish.