It is true that the covid pandemic, and the consequent problems, clouded all other issues. But the fact of the matter is that one by one all those matters we were struggling with earlier will rise to the surface one by one. So the wisdom demands that while we fight the pandemic and its effects we shouldn’t miss the sight of the problems that have dogged us persistently. The enormity of such problems can only increase if we fail to simultaneously work on those fronts. One such problem is the management of the enhanced levels of water in the times of incessant rains. Put simply, how do we ensure that floods do not hit our cities, and towns. The memory of the 2014 floods is no where to go. It has now stuck and we need to draw lessons from it perpetually. That alone can make us upgrade our systems and refresh our knowledge about the modern ways of fighting the floods. One of the projects funded by the World Bank was meant to instal dewatering pumps so that there is no water logging in Srinagar. This was considered an important flood mitigation initiative.
But for some reasons the project was held up. Now that we are told that it is to be picked up again, one can hope that the dewatering stations are installed and the draining out of water becomes efficient and swift. In the present situation the administration is burdened with pandemic related matters, and in case there is another wave the matters are expected to worsen for the governments around the globe. But despite all this the crucial matters related to administration of routine affairs and execution of development projects should go on unhindered. There is a need to keep a focus on important matters as these, and make them least susceptible to the disruptions caused by any eventualities like a spike in pandemic, or a second wave of mutated virus. After all we cannot afford to keep life in abeyance while we are doing some kind of firefighting.