6/20/2016

The Times of Title : WHY THE WORLD'S WETTEST PLACE GETS THIRSTY Author : Mithila Phadke in Mawsynram Location : Article Date : 06/19/2016

Residents of Mawsynram, a village in which gets a record­breaking 11,861 mm of a year, are used to clouds floating right into their homes. But once the is over, they have to queue up at taps and fight for water It was the kind of rain you wouldn't see anywhere else.

We could barely see four feet ahead of us. We could touch the clouds, smell the clouds, taste the clouds.“

We're sitting in a government building in the heart of Shillong but Social Welfare director HM Shangpliang's thoughts are elsewhere.Sixty­five kilometres away, to be precise, in the tiny rain­swept village of Mawsynram, where he grew up. It's a place where residents use grass to soften the sound of the deafening rain on their roofs, dry their drenched clothes on chulhas as often as thrice a day , and won't bat an eye when a mass of clouds floats right into their homes.

They follow us too, those clouds, as we drive up the winding, pot­holed road to Mawsynram on a rainy afternoon. Nestled in Meghalaya's East , the cluster of about 1,000 homes is the custodian of a rather grand title. It holds the Guinness Record for “the wettest place on earth“, having nudged long­time champion from the podium. Around June, when most of India begins to look forward to the first weak drizzles, Mawsynram locals are already well into their monsoon. The average annual rainfall is 467 inches (11,861mm), according to the Guinness website. And this year, the began even earlier in April.

As we move closer to Mawsynram, the gentler, intermittent showers that this Mumbai­based reporter had begun getting used to since arriving in Shillong, soon give way to an insistent, noisy downpour. It makes car chatter difficult, drops visibility to around five feet and gets the driver grumbling about how the government “needs to fix these damn roads already“.

In Mawsynram, however, this is a “good weather“ day . Less than an hour later, when we arrive at the village's fringe, the rain has paused. It's bazaar day, and vendors from Shillong and the surrounding region are fast setting up their stalls. “Slap khyndai sngi. It means the `nine­day rain' in Khasi,“ says the appropriately named Barisha, as she restocks the shelves at her kirana store. She's seen 67 , and her grandson, who's translating, says she is very tired of them. Mawsynram experienced the slap khyndai sngi recently . Terms for sevenday and 12­day rain too find their way into casual conversation on a regular basis. “Everything is damp inside the house, all the time. And so noisy . My head hurts,“ Barisha adds, grabbing her forehead for effect, and summarily shooing us out so she can get back to her work.

For the kids of Mawsynram, though, the monsoons mean two kinds of holidays. “There are times when it has been raining a great deal for a week or more at a stretch so we decide to give the students a couple of days off,“ says former village­headman and now grammar teacher RW Rapsang, who teaches at the Mawsynram HSC School. “And then, there are times when the rain stops for a bit, and we want the kids to enjoy the good weather. So, too much rain ­holiday . No rain ­also holiday!“ Classes are cancelled on days when the sound of deafening rain on the tin roof makes it impossible to hear the teacher. “So you can say this is quite a happy place for students!“ Rapsang adds, laughing.

Rapsang, who's in his fifties, grew up in Mawsynram. Over rice cakes and chai, he talks about growing up in a home where the kids went about barefoot in the rains because plastic slippers were too expensive to afford. “We say here that when the leaves start turning inside out, the monsoons are over.“

He is referring to the time when the kyrtih or wind begins blowing from east to west, and makes the leaves blow in the opposite direction. “Our elders would ask us to observe if we could see the white inside of the leaves. Once we could, we knew dry weather was on its way .“

A rare spell of good weather sends local optimism off the charts.An open­air congregation planned by a local church had to be moved inside a building when the downpour knocked the pandal down.“They rebuilt it, and

1/3 6/20/2016 that same night, it was destroyed again,“ says assistant headmaster PW Shangpliang, tutting. “What they were thinking, I don't know. The rain hits the ground almost horizontally here.That and the winds lash out at houses from the sides.“

Houses used to be built “more sensibly“ here, he says. The architecture involved rocks weighing down the roof, resting at the sides of the limestone structure. Today , most homes are made of concrete, with tin roofs. A couple have the `knup', the turtle shell­shaped rain shield of bamboo and grass, propped up outside. They're mostly used by farmers who work in the fields around Mawsynram.

Aside from potatoes and turnips that a handful of the residents cultivate for their kitchens, produce is sourced from outside. The soil in the limestone plateau doesn't absorb water. “There is barely any forest cover, so a lot of erosion of top soil happens. All of it flows down into Bangladesh next door,“ says village headman Moonstar Marbaniang, laughing. The irony is that like its neighbour Cherrapunji (or `Sohra' as locals call it), the “wettest place on earth“ grapples with an acute water shortage after monsoon ends around October. The few reservoirs in the area run dry in winter and residents get water supply for just two hours in the morning, and two in the evening. Former headman Rapsang recalls how most of his earlier work load involved placating residents engaged in battles at the water­taps.“We very much need an initiative that solves our water crisis. Mawsynram is the wettest desert,“ he says. “Sohra next door has faced a similar problem.“

Because it is better­known and hence, gets more tourism, Cherrapunji's water crisis is less acute today. The Sohra Eco­Restoration Project was launched in 2010, with the support of the Planning Commission. Trees were planted, locals got involved in the campaign and gradually , Cherrapunji's forest cover has increased considerably . “Our plan is to gradually expand the project to Mawsynram and other places in the Khasi Hills,“ says Barkos Warjri, who is among those spearheading the initiative.

While resident Betty Mardaniang, 33, hopes her hometown's water woes get resolved soon, she is unsure if she wants to wait around until that happens. “Do you know how long it rained last week?“ she mutters, as we traipse around the village, making the most of a dry afternoon. “My god, I can still hear the noise in my head. I want to move to Shillong as soon as I can. What's the Mumbai rain like?“ She listens, unimpressed, to this reporter's descriptions of floods and overflowing drains.“Hmm, that is bad. No, our rains definitely don't have any of that.“

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3/3 2 DECCAN HERALD B Sunday, June 19, 2016 Waterlogged Roads P INT Floored by floods in a flash Is stop-gap desilting the only way to free the city’s roads of perennial waterlogging every time it rains? As long-term BLANK solutions such as a comprehensive redesign of the stormwater drains take the backseat, the desilting contractors thrive. rapped in peak-hour city from its roads and low-lying ar- Chief Minister Siddarama- ly saturated during rains as centre traffic, Jayanth eas aplenty. As motorists strug- iah’s recent statement on the their Maximum Water Level TRao dreaded that im- gled to negotiate the water- city’s drainage system is indica- (MWL) gets breached. As for- pending drive back home. The logged streets, the civic tive of the pathetic state: Only mer BWSSB Chief Engineer drizzle had quickly morphed agencies fumbled for excuses. 115 of the 842 km have been Thippeswamy informs, once Swales to retain water, into a downpour, engulfing the Out they came with their stan- desilted and restored with con- the water flows over the MWL, roads ahead in vast sheets of dard statements: Desilting of crete retaining walls. The Pa- it gets onto the roads and low- prevent flooding water. Rao knew the water, al- stormwater drains, under way. like is now working on an ad- lying residential areas. “Houses ready knee-deep, wouldn’t ditional 25 km at a cost of should be built above the tormwater drains are inadequate to take the heavy inflow drain out in a hurry. As dusk Desilting, a scam Rs 200 crore. Restoring the en- MWL. But that requires prop- of rainwater beyond a particular intensity. But why let all dawned on Bengaluru, and the Stop-gap desilting is a scam, tire network would require er planning,” he points out. Sthat water to get out of the area. Why not dig swales streetlights went dark in the assert people well-informed over Rs 4,000 crore at Rs 7 Roads could be redesigned along roads to retain/impound the water and also recharge rains, the dreaded nightmare about the contract system in the civic agencies are publicly management? Are there no crore a kilometre. in such a way that the stormwa- the groundwater? unfurled its fury. the BBMP. “Before every mon- perceived as totally unpre- long-term solutions at all? In- ter actually recharges the Simply put, swales are ditches with flat bottoms that col- The big showers are just soon, a crisis situation is creat- pared to deal with the rains. deed they are. But the one ob- Drain remodelling groundwater where the rain lect water. They are usually dug out on the outer contours of round the corner. But the re- ed to aid the desilting contrac- The contracts are then dished vious option -- Remodelling But the remodelling of the falls instead of flooding the a particular landscape to hold and sink the water. This helps cent rains have already ex- tors. Big money is hijacked,” out in haste. and developing the entire 842 drains has been in the pipeline area. An urban infrastructure hydrate the soil, while preventing water from just running posed the city’s acute inability reveals an insider preferring How long should Bengalure- km of stormwater drains-- has for 11 long years. STUP Con- expert contends that this will down, often dragging soil with it and filling stormwater to quickly drain out the water anonymity. That explains why ans endure this stop-gap crisis never been a priority. sultants Private Limited had boost groundwater level in the drains with silt. completed a survey of the city centre particularly, since drains way back in August 2005. The entire project to re- Reasons for flooding model drains along the four ➤ Change in land use pattern major valleys of Koramangala, ➤ Inappropriate design approach, construction methodolo- Challaghatta, Vrishabhavathi Before every gy for structures and maintenance procedures adopted in and Hebbal was to be complet- newly formed layouts ed in the next 18 months. monsoon, a crisis ➤ Development of land in tank bed areas. It is clear that the delay has situation is created ➤ Modification of original drain alignment during formation substantially escalated the to aid the desilting of layouts costs. Besides, massive en- contractors. Big ➤ Non-existence of service roads on either side for laying croachments of the buffer on service lines and routine maintenance. either side of the drains and money is hijacked. ➤ Indiscriminate dumping of debris and solid wastes into unregulated inflow of raw That explains why drains sewage into the SWDs have the civic agencies ➤ Dense vegetation growth played havoc with the entire are publicly ➤ Encroachment / Modifi- network. The natural flow of cation of original drain stormwater from road-side perceived as totally alignment shoulder drains to secondary unprepared to deal ➤ Lack of access for rou- and tertiary drains is now se- with the rains. The tine maintenance verely hampered. Result: contracts are then ➤ Services lines laid in- Roads flood in a flash! side and across drains Bengaluru’s very apparent dished out in haste. ➤ Blockage of inlet/outlet lack of rain preparedness rais- location of water bodies es a critical question: Can it ➤ Water bodies not func- DH PHOTOS: B K JANARDHAN handle a flood like what Chen- tioning as retention basins 6 3 nai experienced last year? ➤ Sewer lines laid inside Analysing the city’s rainfall and across storm water data over several years, the the built-up area is more. “To drains Karnataka State Natural Dis- ensure this, a road by road as- ➤ Sewage flow in 2 aster Monitoring Centre is not sessment of the SWDs is nec- stormwater drains convinced. The rainwater essary,” notes the expert, V 9 1 runoff (water that drains away) Ravichandar. Why should SWDs be 10 Kino theatre 1 has doubled over the years. remodelled? 8 That has raised the flooding Cylinderical SWDs Swales to retain rainwater. ➤ To minimise flood risk. In the city’s central business runoff. 2 Underpass district, roads being upgraded ➤ To ensure free flow of on Sankey Road Flood vulnerability under TenderSURE have cylin- stormwater and to mini- 5 4 One analysis by the Centre drical underground SWDs. mize flooding in critical shows that 20 mm rainfall for Explains Ravichandar: “These flood prone areas. an hour could trigger flooding drains of 600mm diameter ➤ To improve the health 7 in many parts of Bengaluru. have chambers at every 30 me- and environmental sanita- The capacity of SWDs is quick- tre. Through these chambers, tion conditions in the sur- stormwater enters. Since the rounding vicinity of SWDs Most flood-prone spots in city drains are round, there is less and water bodies. friction and can carry silt to a ➤ To protect the existing great distance. Traditional 1 Doddanekkundi underpass waterways and water bod- drains have flat surface, which ies from environmental 2 KR Puram underpass needs regular desilting.” degradation. The TenderSURE roads are ➤ To improve groundwa- 3 DJ Halli designed to drain out the storm ter level by holding rain water within 20-25 minutes. 4 water in water bodies. Near passport office, Koramangala However, in traditional roads ➤ To provide alternative 5 Ejipura without the required sloping, water source in case of water collects in cavities in the emergencies by rainwater 6 Peenya 2nd Stage poorly laid asphalt. These harvesting. 7 14th Main, Bilekahalli quickly become potholes, en- dangering motorist lives. This Benefits from remodeling 8 Anil Kumble Circle cycle repeats year after year. ➤ A properly designed drainage system will ensure reduc- Concerned citizens of this city 9 tion in flood incidences which in turn reduces flood damage Shivananda Circle now seek a decisive shift in pol- and traffic hold ups. 10 KP Agrahara, Magadi Road icy, a move away from stop-gap ➤ A properly maintained drainage system with controls on drainage solutions that aid only sewage connections and solid waste dumping will reduce pol- contractors to a more robust lution of water bodies and groundwater. (Source: Complaints to BBMP system. ➤ Proper maintenance of facilities such as rainwater deten- control rooms) Rasheed Kappan tion ponds and retention basins will attenuate the peak run- offs and recharge groundwater. ➤Proper maintenance of localised sewage treatment plants and using the treated sewage will reduce the stress on fresh water sources. Waterlogging: A city-wide problem of plenty

t takes only a few spells of turned virtually inaccessible by 224 locations vulnerable frequency of waterlogging has Similar issues plague the un- 3D terrain maps to rain to expose the city's poor customers. increased manifold at the un- derpass in KR Puram that leads Icivic infrastructure. A few A V Krishnamurthy, a senior BBMP officials say they have identified 224 derpass in recent years. He ex- to Hoodi side. The Palike con- important junctions and low- citizen who runs Kusum Gen- vulnerable points prone to floodng and wa- plains that there is no stormwa- trol room staff informs that predict urban floods lying areas are especially prone eral Stores on the busy Avenue terlogging in the Palike limits. BBMP Chief ter drain (SWD) along the they receive plenty of com- to frequent inundation, Road complains that waterlog- Engineer (Stormwater Drain), Siddegowda in- neighbouring Alpine Eco Road plaints of choking from this un- ndian Institute of Science (IISc) scientists are developing clogged roads and drains ging has become a recurring forms that out of the 224, desilting of pri- and hence, rainwater gets ac- derpass. A traffic police inspec- high resolution 3D terrain maps to visualise how water among others. problem here. He attributed mary and secondary drains have been com- cumulated at the underpass. tor attached to the KR Puram Iflows when it rains, triggering floods on roads and low-ly- Traders on Avenue Road the problem to non-clearance Besides, says Jayakumar, the station explains that the drains ing areas in cities. The project, which uses Geographic Infor- take additional precautions of silt from the shoulder drains pleted in 141 places. Work in the remaining sand and debris on Outer Ring connected to the underpass are maiton Systems (GIS), could eventually help civic agencies during downpours as the lane and negligent attitude of the places is to be completed by the month-end. Road ( ORR) at Doddanekkun- filled with muck. Since it is not smartly redesign their drainage infrastructure. turns into a dirty cesspool with BBMP. di have not been cleaned from cleared well before the rains, Equipped with real-time data, the 3D terrain maps are sewage water oozing out of Traders are unanimous in March this year due to owner- the underpass tends to get wa- also expected to forecast floods, aid preparation of action damaged manholes and shoul- their grouse that the drainage at the Doddanekkundi under- three feet. This slows down ve- ship issues between the Ban- terlogged easily. However, plans to mitigate floods and make changes in city planning. der drains. When it rained last in this area is very old and has pass, flooding during rains hicular movement, triggering galore Development Authority some desilting action is now The BBMP and the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Moni- on June 4, as many as 15 to 20 not been upgraded for more gives nightmares to the mo- unbearable traffic chaos. (BDA) and the BBMP. During underway. But whether it will toring Centre are also part of this collaborative project fund- shops were inundated. Com- than 20 years. torists and residents alike. According to Clement C rains, debris get washed away withstand a heavier downpour ed by the Information Technology Research Academy. mercial activities came to a The problem of waterlog- Every time there is a down- Jayakumar, a member of into the drains, triggering is another question. standstill for hours as the road ging is city-wide. For instance, pour, the rainwater stands at Whitefield Rising (WR), the floods on roads in the vicinity. Niveditha Jain

SAHITHI C PREETHAM Y S C H AKSHITHA NANDA KUMAR Drainage network at a glance Student, Marathahalli Trader, Church Street Pvt firm executive, Resident, Vignana MG Road Nagar Extension Pedestrians and mo- There is no proper drainage network here. I shifted from Hyder- Kaggadasapura Main 600 Km - Peripheral Area torists have a tough time 224 going by Marathahalli When it rains , the roads abad to Bengaluru a few Road and the surround- 415 Km - Primary Drains bridge area as the foot- gets clogged. The water years back. The drainage ings get waterlogged dur- locations identified paths get inundated and level stood at about system and roads there ing rains. In the recent by BBMP as prone 425 Km - Secondary Drains drains overflow. The two feet during the re- are in better condition days, however, the Palike to flooding and roads are also in an cent rains in the locality. than here, and can with- has been undertaking de- waterlogging 240 Km - Core Area equally poor shape and The condition is especial- stand rains. Regular silting of drains and other need to be upgraded ly pathetic at certain cleaning of drains is the related works, which is a immediately. stretches. solution. good sign. 141 840km locations where Total Length of SWD desilting of primary, in BBMP Area secondary drains completed