Punjab’s monsoon misery

Every monsoon, Bathinda city dons a ‘Venetian’ look. Roads go under water, lanes turn into lakes, motor vehicles go kaput, the boats come out. Missing, however, are the picture-perfect scenes of gondolas meandering through canals, with cheerful tourists on board. The iconic image here is that of a rickshaw-puller wading through waist-deep water on the Power House road, wondering how far he can ferry his harried passengers. This oft-used photo sums up not only the watery misery heaped upon Bathinda residents year after year, but also the abject apathy of the authorities (un)concerned. The ‘city of lakes’ is certainly not having the best of both worlds despite being represented by Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal in the Lok Sabha and Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal in the Assembly. Making matters worse, the two Badals are blaming each other for the mess. It’s a pity that the Congress-vs-SAD and Centre-vs-state slanging match is hogging the limelight, overshadowing the civic body’s repeated failure to provide basic storm-water drainages.

In other parts of Malwa, particularly Patiala and Sangrur districts, the Ghaggar is wreaking havoc on villagers. This seasonal river continues to be a perennial problem, notwithstanding politicians’ poll-time promise of taming it. Patiala city — the home turf of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh — is not far behind Bathinda when it comes to waterlogging. The lack of flood preparedness has been laid bare all over again.

It’s a bad idea to start unclogging drains right in the middle of the rainy season. This elementary drill should have been completed well before the onset of the monsoon. And it’s not enough to tell officers to remain on guard for any emergency. Heads should roll for laxity that has aggravated the situation. Punjab and other rain-hit states can take their cue from Odisha, which has witnessed around 100 cyclones in about as many years. The Naveen Patnaik government managed to evacuate nearly 11 lakh people shortly before Cyclone Fani struck the coastal state in early May. The high level of disaster readiness helped Odisha minimise the loss of people, livestock and property. It is doable elsewhere, too, provided there is political and bureaucratic will.