When I was young, I loved the rain. When I smelled the rain coming, I would get all fired up in anticipation of the heavens seemingly bringing me its greatest blessing. And when it poured, I’d run all the way to the roof deck of my house and run in the rain.
I’m not sure what it was about the rain that I loved. But I felt closer to nature when I stood in it, pouring all over me. And I somehow felt this unbridled sense of freedom when I ran in it.
But those were the days when we drank from the tap, came home for lunch every day from school yet had more than enough time to return to school for the afternoon classes because traffic was unheard of. Those were the days when we didn’t need air-conditioning. Those were the days when we still had trees.
But those days are long gone.
Today, when the skies darken and the rains start to pelt, I start to get a bit nervous. I quickly check my phone to see if there is some extreme weather disturbance brewing in the horizon that I somehow had not caught on.
If I had plans to run some errands, I cancel. It’s just not worth the risk. Yes. Whereas before, I loved the rain. Today, I fear it. I fear it because I have seen enough dire and deadly consequences that torrential rains bring.
I don’t want to be on the road when it happens. Visibility is low and dangerous for driving. Within minutes, traffic becomes horrendous. I don’t want to be stuck on the road during torrential rains because I fear flooding.
But it would be equally bad if I were inside a mall running errands, completely oblivious to the downpour outside and if upon exiting, I find my vehicle submerged or floating. That would be my nightmare.
When I was in grade school, I remember one country that was prone to floods: Bangladesh. But it’s only today that I realize why.
Approximately 80 percent of Bangladesh is low-lying floodplain situated at the confluence of three major rivers: the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. Bangladesh is thus home to the world’s largest delta.
But why has flooding become the norm in our city and country? It’s likely due to a combination of many factors: stronger typhoons due to global warming that bring heavier rainfall, rapid urbanization and deforestation, inadequate or clogged drainage systems and ineffective, insufficient or non-existent flood-control measures due to widespread corruption.
Who’s afraid of a little rain? Not me. But these days, we can’t tell with precision if it’s going to be a little or a lot and since it’s better to be safe than sorry, I choose to stay home when the skies grow dark and the rains start to pelt.
But the rains don’t only keep us from enjoying the outdoors. They also adversely affect our daily lives. School and office days are interrupted. Businesses suffer. Services are curtailed. Floods destroy property. But they also take lives.
Flood control structures must effectively control floods to protect life and property. We cannot accept the excuse that they failed because they were built only for normal rainfall. Floods are not supposed to be normal occurrences, as such, flood control systems should be built for extreme rainfall and extraordinary weather disturbances.
I am neither an engineer nor an environmentalist but even I know that stripping our mountains bare of trees cannot be a good thing. Urbanization cannot go unchecked. We cannot keep replacing the natural ground with concrete and asphalt.
I used to love the rain. Now, I just feel sad when it rains—not for myself but for the many who may never know the joy the rains gave me.