The South West Monsoon winds entered Goa, with thunder over hills and dales; and illuminated our land with its silver streaks of lightning. Its first pitter-patter drizzle fell musically; and Nature’s scent of mud filled the air. It was a majestic entry.
Dark clouds hung like a sea of water in the sky obscuring the sight of the almighty Sun. But, when the monsoon showers paused, the Sun briefly appeared, like a hesitant visitor taking a peep at us, through the clouds; but it was quickly obscured again by the nimbus clouds. The weeping sky supported the sombre mood of the season. This onset of the Rain, through my window, looked like a great orchestra of Nature giving a new life to our planet.
The gusty wind blew and the trees bent and bowed their heads to welcome the rains; and in the words of W.H. Davies, “I hear the leaves drinking Rain,/I hear rich leaves on top /Giving the poor beneath/Drop after drop; / ‘Tis a sweet noise to hear/These green leaves drinking near.” This appeared to me like a humble act of compassion among the trees. Blades of grass sprouted rapidly turning greener and transforming the entire landscape into a lush green carpet for the Rain.
The loud sound of raindrops on the tiles of my roof resembled hailstones. I opened the front door to watch the rain and I was wonderstruck with nature’s beauty and fury. The wind and the rains danced a rock-n-roll creating havoc with the environment.
Rain’s rage continues for days. The water in the lakes and ponds get replenished and dangerously overflows. The River Kushavati spills over the Paroda Bridge, trapping pedestrians on one side of the road. Gradually, the floodwater reaches up to the calves of people and submerges the Quepem-Margao road. Water level swells at Paroda, halting traffic on the route and forcing people to take longer roads.
Highways and byways are choked with mud, plastic and debris as garbage clogs the gutters. Roads that were dug for carrying out development work have turned into death traps because of potholes. Schools and residential houses face heavy flooding; and mud-houses collapse; some electricity wires snap causing power shutdown at several places.
Huge trees fall as the monsoon lashes. The fire department attend emergency calls; regarding landslide and uprooting of trees; which crash on homes, vehicles and block roads. Fire and Emergency Service and Disaster Management Authorities clear fallen trees. Electricity linesmen also work to give light to those homes and streets, that have fallen in darkness due to monsoon fury. Both these departments do their tiresome duty not as slaves but as the Good Samaritan in the Bible.
People demand a permanent, not temporary, solution to the annual flooding by cleaning gutters and garbage dumped by roadside. Flooding affects motorists ,school students too face challenges and it causes not only inconvenience but also frustration. The public demand proper planning and timely completion of work before monsoon, to avoid chaos during future monsoon seasons.
The Monsoon with its awe-inspiring beauty and tough force is a reminder of Nature’s duality. Only collective action and thoughtful planning can we bear the monsoon’s misery and enjoy its blessings.