Rain disrupts life, again

A lot of things get upset when nature turns a bit inclement. A strong wind, not having the velocity of a storm, can send the bill-boards crashing down on the roads with branches of trees; snap the electricity wires; and give the city the look, at least for some time, of being overrun. And a moderate rain usually creates water-logging in many places. Regrettably, this is true about the other cities also.

It seems there is nobody to look after the capital where more than nine million people live. Rather, the problems are made more complicated by the poor sense of timing that the City Corporation and other utility service providers show when it comes to matters like road digging. It is not clear why the rainy days are chosen for undertaking development or repair work. A lot has been said and written about this problem, but there is yet no sign of the DCC responding to the needs of people.

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Water-logging is a major problem for a metropolis where traffic congestion often slows down the pace of life. The situation worsens when big patches of muddy water appear in the middle of the roads. The risk of accidents also increase considerably since there are holes and furrows which become difficult to spot if the roads remain submerged.

That is in short how vehicular traffic faces trouble during the rainy season. As for pedestrians, the problem could be almost insurmountable when they have to make their way along the inundated roads.

Now, the problem stems essentially from the poor drainage system. The agencies concerned often complained in the past that dumping of polythene bags and other insoluble substances was responsible for clogging of drains. With the use of polythene being reduced drastically, the situation should have improved. But in reality there has been little change for the better.

That said, it is imperative that the city's resistance to the natural phenomena like rain and gusty wind is bolstered to avoid the great inconvenience that they cause to people.