Dr Asangba Tzudir
Any monsoon brings relief from the often continuous heat. However, if it is marked by excessive rainfall, it becomes something close to a nightmare for city dwellers in a place like Dimapur and adjoining areas. Obviously, the reason being the lack of proper drainage system and so whenever there is heavy rainfall on the roads, it causes several issues leading to water logging due to poor drainage and water overflows resulting in flooding of houses and colonies.
With the onset of the monsoon, potholes have quickly appeared on riddled the roads. Even if roads are made of iron blocks, it’ll rust off soon. Without proper drainage, there is surface runoff where rainwater flows over the road surface, creating a layer of water and during heavy rainfall there is no way the rain water can be absorbed, and also because of repeated rainfall, the bare soil in the road gets saturated reducing its ability to absorb water.
In places where there is drainage, it quickly gets clogged because the debris, sediment, and trash block the drains, preventing water from flowing freely. Often, besides the ‘immoral’ act of dumping, it is also the inadequate drainage system which is poorly designed or insufficient drainage infrastructure which fails to handle heavy rainfall.
The low road gradient largely prevents accumulated water from draining off. Besides, as the road gets damaged very quickly the small potholes becomes very big and the surface of the depression in the road goes way below the drainage water inlet and therefore there is more water accumulation. These are the combined causes for water logging, leading to further damage of roads and also flooding of nearby areas and colonies especially in places where there are no drains. There are various risks including health hazards besides severe disruption to normal life.
There are certain ways to mitigate these effects. Firstly, at least in places where there are drains, the inlets which are mostly blocked needs to be cleaned and opened so that water can flow in during rains. However there is need for improving the drainage infrastructure as well as the overall system. Hardly do we have storm drains in Nagaland, as such in order for quick inflow of water into the drainage, storm drains should be incorporated into the drainage system. However, storm drains requires cleaning regularly to prevent any blockage. Also the road gradient needs to be proper so that rain water flows down quickly without accumulating on the road. As far as possible, there is need for green spaces so that there is water absorption.
Proper roads and drainage system are important indices of quality life and it calls for effective implementation of urban planning. However, quality life is also largely dependent of the ‘lifestyle of the citizens themselves. It is imperative of the citizens to know the importance of proper disposal of wastes and to put an end to ‘immoral’ act of dumping. It is both a moral duty as well as a responsibility. By addressing these issues, we can reduce the impact of rain on roads and thereby increase its longevity, and also minimize water logging.
(Dr Asangba Tzudir writes guest editorial for The Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
