Quite a few
people have messaged me of late saying they hope the monsoon relents soon. In fact the rainy season still has probably
more than a month to run and every drop is vital.
More people
lost their lives to landslides yesterday, something that happens every monsoon
but the extra instability caused by the earthquakes has made this year more
dangerous. The fact the victims had
already lost their homes because of the quakes and were buried while living in
temporary shelters, adds extra sadness.
The rains often bring floods, and many roads (often barely usable jeep
tracks at the best of times) are disrupted as are walking trails. Even wildlife as powerful as elephants and
rhinos will not survive if in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Monsoon is
however an absolute necessity. If it were to suddenly stop then countries like
Nepal could not survive. The seasonal
rains are the lifeblood providing food security and vital for water storage
build up both for drinking and power.
Ecosystems and economies are totally dependent on a robust evenly spread
precipitation, wildlife and people simply could not function without it and
that would mean devastating results globally.
With all
the political and social instability combined with earthquake ramifications,
the monsoon this year has seemed like a necessary evil. I sit here writing this now while the rain
falls, it is both a beauty and a beast... and we need it to keep going for a
few more weeks yet despite the problems that will eventuate.
