The shape of things to come

The city is all set to face another monsoon that will test the nerve of its spirited citizens. Every year, we feel it couldn't get worse. From huge potholed roads to never-ending traffic jams to insufficient transport facilities, we think things can only change for the better. If we go by the looks of things this year, there has been change, but it's going to be much for the worse. As I travel around the city, I feel the stage has been set for another unforgettable monsoon for all of us:

• The roads have all been dug at important points so that when the rains happen, we get caught in massive traffic jams. From the way the jams are building even without the rains, the state of these jams when it actually rains boggles the mind.
  
• There are hardly any footpaths to walk on due to the digging that's happening. Either they were never there, or they have been covered by debris of construction work which has been lying around for months. Come the rains and there may be no escape routes - the roads will be chock-a-block with traffic and the footpaths will be slush. Where will people walk their way home; an option that was there earlier!
  
• Slowly but surely road development is eliminating the green cover along the roads. The urgency with which trees are cut is really unbelievable. Today you see them, tomorrow all you see are leaves strewn on the road - a reminder to the years of shade and cool breeze they provided. Will they affect any change in the force of the rain? I'm not sure, but I have a feeling that we may see more water around the roads.
  
• Public transport remains stretched. Autos and taxis continue to dictate where they would like to go and where not to - that's when things are normal. Have a situation where people are desperate, and you can imagine how they will behave.
  

All in all, the mood is set for another testing monsoon for Mumbaikars. I hope at the end of it all, we are able to pull through it safely. God bless us all.