They arrived most unexpectedly and lasted for a few days. April showers drenched the city with their summer rain. In one part of the city it rained 70 mm in about an hour and the rainfall intensity reached 180 mm per hour for a few minutes. The rains brought the temperatures down and that was a blessing. The media was, however, full of reports of areas in the city that were flooded, giving commuters a tough time.
Some lessons were clearly visible if we cared to listen. Firstly the rains in the city do not occur at the same time and with the same amount. The city is now too large an area for it to be measured and reported with one or two weather tracking stations only. It will need more granular points of measure, say one weather station for every ward, for us to understand and cope with the capricious thing that is weather and rain.
Second it is possible for individuals to take action and prepare for rain. April showers are the advance warning mechanism of nature asking whether preparedness is in place to receive the rain.
Take the case of Balasubramanian. Grandfather and granddaughter amble across to the well in their home to inspect it. The filters were cleaned and the roof swept, anticipating the rain and now rainwater has flown in copious quantities into the well. With 140 mm of rain in the neighbourhood and with their 120 square metre rooftop, nearly 15,000 litres have been recharged into the aquifer.
Water table upLittle Akshita measures the rope and is excited to note that the water table has risen by 3 feet. While Mr. Balasubramanian has increased the water level in his well he has also ensured that there is no flooding contribution to the neighbourhood from his site at least.
Further down the road Dr. Hegde has allowed the first rain to flush and clean the rooftop. Now his rainwater tank has been filled by the subsequent rains. This water to be used for non-potable purpose will last one month.
Thirdly the lake has benefitted from the rains, receiving copious inflows from the stormwater drains. The water has now attracted many species of birds, water fowls and even snakes and is a glorious sight to behold. Slowly it will increase the groundwater table in the surrounding.
Yet there is a warning that the lake gives you. Plastic and garbage have moved in from the stormwater drains. Volunteers will hopefully clean it but the lake reports the dumping of solid waste in storm-water drains thanks to the rain. Will we learn and keep our garbage out of our drains?
Water is seeping out too from near the outlet weir. The lake waters will quickly deplete because of this. Will the authorities wake up and plug the leak for the monsoon? Time will tell.
In many places in the city flooding is reported. This is a wake- up call to ensure that storm drains are properly aligned, kept clean and water diverted away. It is also a wake-up call to citizens to either create storage structures for the rains or to recharge into the aquifers, thus increasing the water required and preventing flooding.
April showers have many blessings provided we are ready to listen and act to what the signals from nature are. This action could be from the individual, to the community, to the city level. That would be water wisdom.
