Bad weather chaos

This has been going on for years. Too long! The Priority Bus Route is the main artery to the heart of the city. It is important not only as a regular conduit of commerce and daily life, but it is a passageway of last resort, used during emergencies. Yet, the nation witnessed the spectre of muddy water rising so high as to block this road. That water was a health hazard to anyone unlucky enough to be caught up in it, who dared pass through it.

Is there no engineering feat that can be deployed to prevent this? It seems whenever there is bad weather, there is also chaos.

If we suffer so much whenever there is a prolonged bout of rain, what if we had to bear a 24-hour assault like Hurricane Matthew, which has killed more than 800 people in Haiti alone.

We are not talking about one of man’s most complex engineering wonders. We are talking about a basic roadway that could be properly drained or elevated.

Yet, we seem to require the architects of the Pyramid of Giza to come back to life in order to solve this conundrum.

Then there is the perennial problem of people throwing trash in the rivers. What the flooding reveals is the underbelly of our waste disposal habits, in essence our indiscipline. Not only do we place rubbish in the wrong place, but that rubbish then goes on to choke us.

Domestic habits have to change. Local government bodies have to be more vigilant. And waste disposal entities like the Solid Waste Management Company Ltd need to do better in terms of providing convenient waste disposal options or services.

Perhaps the Ministry of Works and Transport should do a comprehensive study of the drainage problems plaguing the bus route.

Or if such a study has already been done, perhaps recommendations made need to be implemented.

Inches of water should not be allowed to create Armageddon, if you will.

Also in the mix is the question of first responders. We commend the brave fire officers who intervened to rescue stranded commuters. Sadly, the bravery of this group of officers was almost rewarded with death. All steps must be taken to probe the near-electrocution of the officers who reportedly came into contact with a live wire via a ladder.

We do not want to rub salt in the wounds of the injured, but for the sake of all who may one day depend on first responders, it cannot be the case that these officers are themselves exposed to unwarranted peril. What procedures and protocols are in place regulating their actions before, during and, in this instance, after deployment? By coincidence, the heavy rains were accompanied by a lightning storm which was a reminder of the varied nature of the threats posed by our weather systems. In addition to being prepared for heavy winds, flash flooding, landslides and torrential downpours, we must also get acquainted with the hazards posed by lightning.

If you find yourself caught in a lightning storm, the key is to minimise danger. Find shelter immediately. Stay away from windows. Don’t touch anything metal or electrical. And stay inside.

Let’s do what we can to avoid bad weather chaos.