When the Wind Blows,
the Monsoon Rains Will Come
Mausin, the Arabic word for season of the winds, is the origin of the word
monsoon (“Making a Monsoon”). Monsoons are seasonal shifts in wind that cause large
amounts of rainfall. Often thought of occurring in Asia, Monsoons occur in tropical and
subtropical regions of all continents except Antarctica (Spilsbury 7). This rainfall is both
integral and menacing to millions of people around the world.
Farmers depend on these rains for their crops to grow. In some places, 90% of the
year’s rain is during the monsoon season, and without this essential rain more than 1
billion people would go hungry (“Making a Monsoon”). However, the same rain that
brings life to so many also has some disastrous consequences.
How a Monsoon Happens
There are two main components of the monsoon rainfall- hot land mass and a cooler
ocean (“Making a Monsoon”). Water has a higher heat capacity than land, so the land
heats up more quickly than the surrounding oceans (“What is a Monsoon?”). As a result,
the air rises as it heats and the moist, cool air from the ocean rolls in causing the winds to
shift (“Making a Monsoon”). Since it is cooler, the air above the ocean is more dense;
therefore, the wind shifts to a maritime pattern, from sea to land (“What is a Monsoon?”).
As the air rises and gets cooler, the air can no longer hold the moisture in. The result is
drastic, heavy rainfall (“Monsoon”).
The end of monsoon season is gradual. Land takes some time to heat up, and it
takes some time to cool down. Over time, the winds shift back to a continental, land to
sea, pattern (“What is a Monsoon?”).
What Happens When the Rain Comes
Due to the large amount of precipitation, the flooding of river deltas and
floodplains occur during the monsoon season. Since these floods happen regularly, they
are called cyclical floods. These floods can often bring much needed water and nutrients
to the soil. In fact, the ancient Egyptians referred to this as the “Gift of the Nile” (Gifford
17).
Unfortunately, there are also negative effects to the monsoon season. When the
floodwaters rise, homes and property are destroyed. The ultimate cost of these deadly
floods is the price of human life. The floodwaters can create a serious domino effect of
increasing dangerous situations.
Floating cars, trees, or rocks injure some people. Water can also knock down
power lines and break gas and oil pipes Electricity from the power lines can electrocute
anyone touching the water. If broken power lines touch each other, they can produce
sparks. These sparks can cause fires in buildings. They can also cause explosions of gas
and oil released from broken pipes (Spilsbury 13).
Additionally, people are cut off from resources, clean water, food, and supplies.
Crops can be ruined which leads to food shortages. Diseases can be carried in water, and
people may not be able to find immediate medical assistance (Gifford 24). Also, people
are left to the elements. They can be bitten by poisonous snakes, electrocuted, or even
drown (Spilsbury 27).
People lose their property and homes due to floodwaters. Serious floods may
leave thousands homeless. Buildings and businesses may be destroyed and this leaves
people without work and ways to earn money. Communication and transportation
systems are also damaged during floods. People cannot reach others, and can’t travel to
work or to find resources (Spilsbury 14).
Viruses and bacteria run rampant in the polluted water. Diseases are spread when
people drink this infected water. Often the cure to diseases such as dysentery is drinking
clean water, but after a flood, clean drinking water is hard to find (Spilsbury 14).
People don’t always realize how dangerous floodwaters can be. Rocky Lopez, a
Disaster Services worker for the Red Cross says, “It’s difficult to judge the depth, speed,
and power of flood waters; in an instant, you can be swept into a drainage system or your
car floated off a road or bridge” (Spilsbury 10). Amazingly, it can take as little as 5
inches of water to take down a person. Another mistake people make is trying to drive
through flood water (Spilsbury 5).
Perseverance of the Human Spirit
Even though living in an area prone to monsoons and flooding can be dangerous,
people have chosen to adapt to the circumstances. Some choose to stay in these spots
because of the fertile land (Gifford 17). They have learned from those that came before
them and learned how to improve storage facilities and irrigation systems (How to Make
a Monsoon”). Farmers in Vietnam and India use these floods to their advantage. They
build levees to keep their paddies flooded. Without the floodwaters, there would be a
lack of vital nutrients (Walker 25). This is important, as the main crop of these regions is
rice.
Bangladeshi children are taught how to use boats at a young age. When the
threatening floodwaters come, they will be prepared. People in rural areas sometimes
make their homes out of straw and bamboo so that they can pack up their house onto their
boats. They protect their wells with walls and build up levees next to the rivers. Some
families raise ducks because they can swim and can be used for meat and eggs. Also,
they make and save medicines that deal with the sicknesses associated with flooding.
(Spilsbury 26).
Dealing with floods also helps people come together. Villagers in Bangladesh
meet and discuss plans for the monsoon season (Spilsbury 26). Even countries such as
China and Taiwan that don’t always agree come together to study monsoons and weather
patterns for the greater good. Scientists continue to study weather patterns to aid farmers
in planting. They even have a complex computer model to aid in predicting the weather
patterns of monsoons (“Making a Monsoon”).
What the Future Holds
60% of the world’s population depends on the rain monsoons bring
(“Monsoons”). The dangers of floods are also not going to go away. Over time, people
have adapted and made changes to deal with the negative sides of flooding. If people
keep working together and help each other, we can make the most of the times when
flooding gets deadly.