As a result of three consecutive rainy days, the streets of these places are no longer streets but water. I have witnessed places that have literally turned into slow-moving waters, with houses adrift. It is not only unfortunate but also unacceptable for places that already know too well the effects of floodwaters.
In these places, it is not a calamity; it is a way of life. Flooding has become the norm in these places, bringing life to a standstill. When it rains and does not stop for a while, life comes to a standstill. The water on the streets is not just a nuisance for the residents; it is a wall for them—a barrier for income, safety, and even dignity.
The first thing that strikes my mind is how quickly life has adjusted to this new reality. It is not a reality heralded by alarms and sirens; it is a reality that comes gradually, ankle-deep and slow-moving. It is a reality that has become a way of life for these places and their residents.
What strikes me is how quickly life has adjusted to this new reality and how easily people have accepted it as the way of life. It is not a reality of heroes and heroism; it is a reality of acceptance and compromise. The problem is that this reality has been accepted and has even become a norm for these places and their residents, so much so that living with water inside one’s house has become a way of life.
These are the places that are hit the hardest because the water has nowhere else to go. The drains clog with garbage, the rivers are narrowed or even closed off, and the land that was once so ready to soak up the rain is now nothing but pavement. The rain is not the enemy; it is the lack of preparation, the lack of regulation over how the land is used, and the lack of urban planning that turn the rain into an enemy. The flooding, in other words, is the man-made suffering that the weather just makes worse.
What troubles me most, however, is how the flooding reveals the inequalities in our society. Those with the high ground sleep through the rain, while those in the low-lying places stay awake through the night, watching the waters rise against their walls. The flooding becomes a reminder of how we are stacked against each other, with levels determined not by how much money we make, but by the height of the land we stand on. The water, being fair and impartial, ends up punishing the same people over and over.
However, there is another problem that is never really addressed. The psychological toll of the flooding on residents is rarely discussed. Living with the flooding every time it rains creates an anxiety that seeps its way into the very bones. The rain becomes something to be dreaded, something to be worried about with every passing cloud. The hope we are left with is that the waters will not rise higher than last time, that the appliances will be spared, and that the children will not get sick. It is not, however, something that can be fixed with an engineering solution. It is determined by the way we choose to live.
Flood areas should not fade into the background as the waters rise. Proper maintenance of the drainage system, honest land use, and respect for waterways are not grand solutions, but basic responsibilities. Until these are taken seriously, the rain will continue to reveal what has been hidden by neglect.
