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Here comes the rain again …
What was the most fun thing you did last weekend? You were up on the roof, weren’t you, dancing in the rain shower? That’s what I did too! After all, what’s the use of all that heavenly water if you don’t drench yourself to your bones in it?
That’s what rains do to you, don’t they? They make you go crazy! Particularly in Karachi, after a long, hot summer, the monsoon season arrives like a magical spell every year. It’s a nice, sober kind of a feeling to watch giant, fluffy clouds travel slowly across the skies and gather majestically up above. Day by day, they change hues from white to a pale-white and then into grey and brown.
And just in that instant before the shower hits, the breeze stops. Swaying trees seem to freeze. Birds stop chirping. And the sky appears to be burdened with a secret that it must break free of.
Walking around your neighbourhood afterwards, the world appears to be unusually clear. The air itself has turned clean somehow, with a sweet, earthy fragrance to it. Trees take on bright green hues once more, free of the smoke and soot that was covering their glossy leaves. And you notice how funny the flies looked, hanging motionless in mid air, buzzing away like fat little choppers.
And with the surrounding atmosphere, everyone appears to don a good mood all of a sudden. People can’t help going out on their balconies or standing at their gates and on their roofs, smiling at each other and everyone who walks by. Delicious aromas find their way out of the kitchens and into the expectant nostrils as moms start making pakoras and doodh-patti. And all day long, as the neighbourhood canopies keep dripping with sweet, clear rain drops, you think to yourself you wouldn’t want the weather to be any other way ever.
But, just like every rainy season, this season too, the monsoons arrived with their share of parallel discomforts, particularly since the city was undergoing extensive construction work. Since most of the major highways and streets were dug up, the heavy showers wrecked havoc, turning streets into muddy sludge. Parked vehicles almost toppled over as the raw ground beneath gave way and cars sank halfway into the earth.
But what’s most alarming is that the city’s sewerage system failed, and the rain water accumulated on streets. In fact, in certain places of old Sabzi Mandi, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Clifton, Nazimabad etc., the water was so deep that it jammed several vehicles, creating serious traffic problems. Perhaps the worst case of rain havoc occurred at the KPT Underpass, Clifton, where, due to insufficient drainage, the entire underpass filled up with water, making it impossible to commute across.
Unfortunately, there were casualties as well as old, feeble houses collapsed, people got electrocuted by live wires or drowned in sewerage canals.
Business was affected as well; high-value goods’ shopkeepers were forced to close down to prevent their merchandise from getting spoilt. Busy shopping arenas like Zainab Market froze up as the streets surrounding the market place were flooded.
Pedestrians and public transport riders faced difficulty in commuting as the number of on-the-road buses grew thin and people were stuck outdoors, soaked to the skin. Around 5pm, one could see multitudes of city workers standing helplessly at bus-stops, waiting for their buses to go home — buses that just would not arrive. Most were forced to hire rickshaws and taxis, or hitch a ride with people … or, if all hope failed, walk home, tired, wet and cold
And even after heavy showers last weekend, there were persistent forecasts of more thunderstorms and rains. While many were pleased anticipating an extended spell of cool, breezy weather, those who were adversely affected by rains were rightfully upset with the prolonged wet spell. And so, having mixed feelings about the rains, another season of monsoons nears conclusion. Here’s hoping that the repair work on damaged streets will commence without serious delays and the sewerage system will function without any glitches … until, of course inevitably, another shower hits us in the next season with its glorious frenzy.
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