During monsoon, the weather becomes stormy with heavy rains and chilly sea winds. Undeterred by the monsoons, however, travelers continue to plan escapades and workers keep up with long distances to earn their daily bread and butter. For India, the period between June and September that makes up the rainy season is as much a reason to rejoice as to stay equipped with necessary safety measures.
One of the most primary challenges for laymen during monsoons are waterlogged roads. Roads and by lanes flooded with rainwater give rise to many road accidents. Other persistent causes of concern are overgrown trees, open electrical wires, damaged roads, and garbage clogging. Roads become damaged as the tar comes loose, and especially during foggy climates, the chances of accidents are at their peak. At other times, poorly managed traffic can lead to traffic jams adding to the woe of the common people.
Given the scenario, although there are already appointed civic and government bodies accountable for the monsoon preparations, taking certain measures at an individual level can help avoid many road accidents and consequently help save lives. Listed below are some preventive steps to be followed, ahead of the monsoon.
- Control garbage: It is unacceptable to strew garbage at any crossroad or corner, without ensuring that waste collection happens regularly. Additionally, every locality must make sure that metal scraps, furniture or other larger waste are not dumped in the colony’s dumpster. In the event of floods, such waste can cause great harm since it can be carried along with the force of water, damaging everything in its way.
- Prune overgrown trees: Poor visibility is a prominent cause of many road accidents during monsoon. Overgrown trees or shrubs at the side-streets can lead to lesser visibility, which can be avoided by periodic pruning of the trees. By ensuring that the branches of trees are well-trimmed so as to not disturb the vision of the rider, and by inculcating proper disposal measures of the twigs and tree-excesses, road accidents can be evaded to a significant degree.
- Ensure dug-up roads are covered: If your locality has deep-drilled bore-well holes, excavated plots or muddy ditches, be sure to remind the respective governing bodies to cover them up, by calling or writing to them. Ditches, when filled with muddy water, can be extremely dangerous, especially if there are no warning signs for the drivers or riders. Such trenches can cause many road mishaps, injuring the passers-by. This can be avoided by responsible preventive actions to minimize damage.
- Ensure clean drains: Waterlog and consequent traffic jams can be avoided by ensuring that the drainage systems are efficiently managed and periodically cleaned. In case, you observe that the concerned bodies have not indulged in de-silting the drains before monsoons, bring it to notice of the concerned managers. When there are clean drains, floods can be avoided even during high-measure rainfall.
- Report any open-electrical wires: Due to storms, uprooted trees and pole wrecks are common during the monsoon. However, if wires running with electricity are lying on roads, it can be the cause of great harm to the civilians. If open wires are left unchecked, electricity can run to lakes or ponds causing danger to animals and humans nearby. Therefore, if you are aware of any such pole wrecks or wire breaks, contact the civic authorities at the earliest in order to avoid emergencies.
In a country of over 2 billion, the responsibility of mitigating the monsoon menace rests as much with the public as it does with the civic bodies. If each of the tax-paying citizens takes up the responsibility of ensuring the safety of their own locale, road accident related emergencies can be drastically diminished, making the monsoon safe and emergency-free. In case you do come across an emergency during monsoon, call 108 ambulances or Dial 1298 in Mumbai, which are operated by Ziqitza Healthcare Limited and other medical emergency service providers, for fast, efficient and reliable emergency medical care.