A rainy Navaratri and the infra dilemma

The Indian Meteorological Department has officially declared the withdrawal of the monsoon, almost 40 days later than the usual withdrawal date. 2019 has beaten the 1961 record when the monsoon withdrew on 1st October. As like many Indian festivals that are intertwined with seasons and seasonal changes, the sharada Navaratri (literally meaning nine nights) festival occurs after the monsoons and before the onset of winter. Growing up, I don’t remember the customary practice of the burning of the effigy of Ravana on the last day of Dusshera, ever happening on a rainy day.

Maybe this year is freakish one, but that thought is probably more wishful than backed by any scientific evidence. Prudence would advice preparation for random climate-related events, rather than planning based on past climate data. While individuals and festival organizers can adjust to a rainy Navaratri, municipal administrators across India have their task cut out to create / revamp existing drainage infrastructure to handle changing rainfall patterns. Urban water and wastewater has mostly been last in the pecking order for urban infrastructure investment, with unsustainable low water tariffs not helping the cause. It is a tough call for a city to build infrastructure to handle 5-10 days of intense rains in a year that has the potential to create havoc and threaten lives, especially when infrastructure to handle steady-state situations is not ready.

On a similar note, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in April this year had directed the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to revise the 2017 sewage discharge standards and make them far more stringent. The NGT additionally directed that the revised norms would be applicable to existing sewage treatment plants (STPs) as well. While the MoEFCC has not yet issued any new legislation or challenged the order, the NGT order itself evoked strong reactions in favor and against it. I met several people who were extremely thrilled with the stringent regulation and that our STPs need to meet global standards, there were also many who wanted STP infra creation to happen on a large-scale to at least some ‘basic’ level. Many felt that very stringent standards would dissuade infra creation for want of funds.

I personally believe that stringent standards are the way to go, but it also needs to be accompanied by systematic increases in water and sewage tariffs, that are currently amongst the lowest in the world. Creation of climate-resilient or good treatment infrastructure has to happen with corresponding rise in tariffs and expansion of metering on a large-scale that covers individual households.

Let me know what you think!