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Opinion
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| Monsoons cause flood hazards. | | | | Monsoons are seasonal wind changes that cause heavy rains in some parts of the world. The land heats quickly, creating low pressure that draws in rain-bearing ocean winds during summer. Monsoon rains are vital for water supply but can also cause flooding and other hazards.
Flooding is one of the most common and devastating hazards during the monsoon season. Heavy rains can cause rivers to overflow, inundating homes, roads, and farmlands. Triggered by heavy rainfall, landslides can cause significant destruction, especially in hilly and mountainous regions. They involve the sudden and rapid movement of soil and rock down a slope.
The abundance of stagnant water during monsoons provides a breeding ground for various pathogens, leading to diseases such as cholera, dengue fever, and leptospirosis. Intense rains and strong winds can weaken buildings, bridges, and roads, leading to significant structural damage and posing serious risks to inhabitants and commuters.
Wet and slippery roads, reduced visibility, and waterlogged streets increase the likelihood of traffic accidents during the monsoon season. Flooding occurs when excessive rainwater overwhelms natural and artificial drainage systems. It can lead to catastrophic consequences, including loss of life, displacement of communities, and widespread property damage. Notable examples include the 2018 Kerala floods in India, which caused over 400 deaths and displaced a million people, highlighting the destructive power of monsoon floods.
The southwest monsoon stormed into Kerala, a week ahead of its scheduled arrival on June 1. This was not a surprise because as early as the first week of May, meteorologists had tipped off the country about its early arrival over the Andaman Sea — a crucial pit stop before its advent over Kerala. A May onset is not an exceptional occurrence — it has happened four times since 2014 — but additional support from a pre-cyclonic circulation in the Arabian Sea gave it a tremendous surge due to which several parts of Maharashtra and the Konkan coast saw the monsoon reach their shores earlier than anticipated. It was the first time in 35 years that Mumbai, which usually welcomes the monsoon around June 10, saw a May onset. Even prior to the onset, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), as far back as mid-April, had forecast an ‘above normal’ monsoon rainfall, or 5% more than the historical average of 87 cm. Following the monsoon’s onset, it has retained this outlook of ‘above normal’ rain, and has since increased it to 6% above the average.
Mumbai and other cities since May 24 (when the monsoon landed) is accounted as ‘pre-monsoon’ rainfall. In its update, the IMD said that it anticipates June to receive ‘above normal’ rains. This means that the rains so far are a mere trailer to what is to come.
Similarly, the 2013 Uttarakhand landslide in India, triggered by heavy monsoon rains, resulted in over 5,000 deaths and widespread devastation. In the month of May this year 2026 the skim, Manipur, Himachal Pradesh in India, Maharashtra, and several places in northern part of India received heavy rainfall resulted many deaths and widespread devastation of roads, buildings and bridges
The floods that overwhelm cities are no longer restricted to the major metropolises but also tier-2 and tier-3 towns. While several of these cities are not even equipped for ‘normal’ rainfall, administrations — State and central — must seriously incorporate the portent from climate change which translates into citizens navigating erratic rainfall and greater disruptions from floods. While improved and high-resolution forecasts are a positive development, they have limited value without a wide-ranging societal effort to incorporate its warnings to improve everyday living.
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