When It Rains, They Rejoice: 10 Animals That Love Monsoon Season
photoDetails english 2924363
Monsoon season brings joy not just to humans, but to many animals too. When It Rains, They Rejoice explores 10 animals that thrive in the rain. From frogs croaking happily to elephants playfully splashing in puddles, these creatures embrace the wet weather. Peacocks dance, snails emerge, and earthworms flourish. The rains signal mating, feeding, and playful behavior for many. This celebration of monsoon-loving animals showcases nature's lively response to the refreshing rhythm of the rain. https://zeenews.india.com/photos/world/when-it-rains-they-rejoice-10-animals-that-love-monsoon-season-2924376 Updated:Jun 30, 2025, 02:32 PM IST 1. Frogs:
1 / 10
They are considered as most iconic creatures, and the rain provide the frogs the perfect environment for breeding and the water bodies forming everywhere.And their croaks is the sign of rainy day celebration. 2. Snails:
2 / 10
They thrive in moist conditions and monsoon provide them the apt weather. You will often spot them slowly making their way across damp leaves and garden paths and enjoying the wet and cool environment. 3. Earthworms:
3 / 10
These plays a key role for healthy soil and earthworms come to the surface only during rains. The moisture helps them breathe better through their skin and monsoon is their time to reproduce and enrich the soil. 4. Peacocks:
4 / 10
These Indian popular birds known for their stunning monsoon dances. Peacocks are more active and vocal during the rainy season. The rains signal mating time and during this time their colorful feathers fan out in an astonishing display. 5. Crabs:
5 / 10
This time is when crabs leave their burrows and head toward water bodies to mate. And for their activity and survival, the season brings high tides and moist environments. 6. Toads:
6 / 10
They are closely related to frogs and usuallly more visible and active during the rains. They make the most of the wet season to feed, mate and lay eggs in puddles and ponds. 7. Fireflies:
7 / 10
These glowing insects light the monsoon during the nights in firleds or forests, for them monsoon is the apt weather for mating and to show their magical sight. 8. Millipedes:
8 / 10
They lovethe damp forest floor during monsoon and usually they come out in large numbers. They feed on decaying leaves and helping in the decomposition process. 9. Tree Snakes:
9 / 10
The non-venomous tree snakes are usually active during the monsoon season and the abundance of frogs and insects during monsoon makes a prime time for hunting and movement. 10. Bats:
10 / 10
It benefits from the increase in insects during monsoon nights and the cool, moist conditions also support their roosting habits in caves and tree hollows.
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India.com
8 hours ago
- India.com
When It Rains, They Rejoice: 10 Animals That Love Monsoon Season
photoDetails english 2924363 Monsoon season brings joy not just to humans, but to many animals too. When It Rains, They Rejoice explores 10 animals that thrive in the rain. From frogs croaking happily to elephants playfully splashing in puddles, these creatures embrace the wet weather. Peacocks dance, snails emerge, and earthworms flourish. The rains signal mating, feeding, and playful behavior for many. This celebration of monsoon-loving animals showcases nature's lively response to the refreshing rhythm of the rain. Updated:Jun 30, 2025, 02:32 PM IST 1. Frogs: 1 / 10 They are considered as most iconic creatures, and the rain provide the frogs the perfect environment for breeding and the water bodies forming their croaks is the sign of rainy day celebration. 2. Snails: 2 / 10 They thrive in moist conditions and monsoon provide them the apt weather. You will often spot them slowly making their way across damp leaves and garden paths and enjoying the wet and cool environment. 3. Earthworms: 3 / 10 These plays a key role for healthy soil and earthworms come to the surface only during rains. The moisture helps them breathe better through their skin and monsoon is their time to reproduce and enrich the soil. 4. Peacocks: 4 / 10 These Indian popular birds known for their stunning monsoon dances. Peacocks are more active and vocal during the rainy season. The rains signal mating time and during this time their colorful feathers fan out in an astonishing display. 5. Crabs: 5 / 10 This time is when crabs leave their burrows and head toward water bodies to mate. And for their activity and survival, the season brings high tides and moist environments. 6. Toads: 6 / 10 They are closely related to frogs and usuallly more visible and active during the rains. They make the most of the wet season to feed, mate and lay eggs in puddles and ponds. 7. Fireflies: 7 / 10 These glowing insects light the monsoon during the nights in firleds or forests, for them monsoon is the apt weather for mating and to show their magical sight. 8. Millipedes: 8 / 10 They lovethe damp forest floor during monsoon and usually they come out in large numbers. They feed on decaying leaves and helping in the decomposition process. 9. Tree Snakes: 9 / 10 The non-venomous tree snakes are usually active during the monsoon season and the abundance of frogs and insects during monsoon makes a prime time for hunting and movement. 10. Bats: 10 / 10 It benefits from the increase in insects during monsoon nights and the cool, moist conditions also support their roosting habits in caves and tree hollows.
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- The Hindu
Cities built to drain or drown?
The rain begins, and for many cities, so does the chaos. Choked roads, submerged streets, endless traffic — a familiar monsoon story. If you're indoors, you may enjoy the patter on your window. But step outside, and it's a different world: stalled vehicles, knee-deep water, and helplessness. Year after year, the same scenes play out. Why does waterlogging seem like an annual inevitability? Is the rainfall too much to handle, or are our cities simply built to fail when it comes to draining water? For centuries, nature provided its own sophisticated flood defence system: vast networks of wetlands acted as giant sponges, lakes and ponds stored excess rainfall, meandering rivers had floodplains designed to swell and recede, and miles of open soil allowed water to simply soak into the ground. These were our cities' natural allies against the monsoon's might. However, in our rush toward rapid urban development, we have systematically ignored, encroached upon, and often destroyed our cities' natural drainage systems. Across urban India — from Delhi to Mumbai, Chennai to Guwahati — lakes have been filled, wetlands drained, and riverbeds built over. Green, open land has been replaced by concrete and asphalt, turning once-absorbent cities into impermeable surfaces. So when heavy rains arrive, there's simply nowhere for the water to go, and our streets turn into rivers within minutes. When cities turn into swamps Just last week, Pune witnessed one of its worst spells of urban flooding, with roads turning into rivers and traffic crawling through waist-deep water. The Pimpri-Chinchwad area was particularly hard-hit, with shocking visuals circulating online — vehicles stranded, people wading through murky water, and entire stretches submerged. These scenes once again highlighted the city's fragile drainage infrastructure, worsened by rapid urbanisation, disappearing natural water channels, and poorly planned construction. Chennai, too, offers a deja vu. Despite being no stranger to floods, the city continues to grapple with waterlogging every monsoon. With wetlands shrinking and stormwater drains often clogged or overwhelmed, even moderate rainfall is enough to throw daily life out of gear. Bengaluru recently joined the list of urban deluges. In mid-May, the city recorded over 105mm of rain in 24 hours — one of the highest in 15 years — and saw 130 mm in a single night thereafter. Experts link these recurrent floods to Bangalore's transformation: over 190 lakes once interconnected, now encroached upon or polluted, and stormwater drains blocked by unplanned construction. What went wrong: From water-wise to water-wrecked Indian cities weren't always so flood-prone. They were once built in harmony with water channels, not against them. Lakes, wetlands, canals, and floodplains formed nature's built-in flood defence system. Wetlands like Chennai's Pallikaranai marsh and Pune's Pashan Lake absorbed rainfall, chains of interconnected lakes stored storm water, and open land let water seep into the ground, recharging aquifers. But in the race for unchecked urbanisation, we've systematically destroyed this balance. Wetlands have been drained, lakes filled, riverbeds narrowed, and floodplains built over. Hills have been flattened and slopes ignored, all to make way for concrete jungles that repel, rather than absorb, water. Today, impermeable surfaces have replaced open soil — parks, sidewalks, and even courtyards are paved. So when it rains, water can no longer seep into the ground. Instead, it pools on the surface, quickly turning roads into rivers. To make matters worse, our stormwater drainage systems are often outdated, clogged, or designed for an era of less runoff. In many places, the same drains carry both sewage and rainwater, leading to overflows and sanitation crises. Urban planning itself is part of the problem — Many cities follow 'copy-paste' urban designs — lifting layouts suited to dry regions or foreign contexts, without considering local topography or natural water flow. This means that hills are flattened, slopes ignored, and construction continues on land that was never meant to hold buildings, but water. Where does the water go now? The direct consequence? When it rains — and it now rains harder and more frequently due to changing climate patterns — the water has nowhere to go. The natural systems that once stored or absorbed it are gone. What remains are choked storm drains, overwhelmed sewage lines, and flooded streets. So even a short spell of rain can now bring an entire city to a standstill. Not because of the rain itself, but because the places built to handle it have been buried beneath the very concrete that now drowns us. When cities can't breathe: The forgotten science of urban hydrology Urban hydrology is the science of how water behaves in a city — how it falls, flows, seeps into the ground (infiltration), and gets stored or drained. In a well-planned city, some water soaks into the soil, some gathers in lakes and wetlands, and the rest flows through stormwater drains. Think of it like a sponge: absorb, store, release. But today's cities act more like plastic sheets. Concrete, asphalt, and tiles cover the ground. There's no soil left to absorb rain. So, when it pours, almost 90% of the rain becomes run-off, rushing over hard surfaces with nowhere to go. Why it fails: From overflowing drains to flash floods Most urban drainage systems were built for smaller cities and gentler showers. Now, with dense construction and fewer green zones, they get overwhelmed within minutes. This leads to: Flash floods: Streets and underpasses flood fast, often within minutes of heavy rain. Waterlogging: Roads turn to rivers, homes get flooded, traffic stalls. Groundwater depletion: With infiltration blocked, cities lose out on natural groundwater recharge, down by 50–70% in some areas (Central Ground Water Board). Health hazards: Overflowing drains often mix with sewage, triggering sanitation risks and disease outbreaks. Science ignored Urban hydrology could have helped us plan better — to live with water, not against it. But it was sidelined in the race for rapid construction. As a result, the water cycle in cities is broken, and every monsoon reminds us just how costly that ignorance is. Lost wisdom, future solutions: Learning to live with water Water-wise past, concrete present Ancient India knew how to live with water. From stepwells and temple tanks in the south and west, to kuls in the Himalayas and johads in Rajasthan, traditional systems managed rain effectively — collecting, storing, and recharging groundwater. These weren't just structures, but part of a larger water ethos: absorb, store, reuse. At the heart of this wisdom was Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) — collecting rain where it falls and using it to recharge the earth. Its benefits were simple: less flooding, more groundwater, and lower dependency on municipal supplies. But today, these systems are either forgotten or poorly maintained. Many buildings have token RWH setups that lie clogged, unused, or non-functional. Rooftops drain water into streets instead of recharge pits, and urban lakes have become landfills or parking lots. Meanwhile, drainage and sewage often share space, leading to health risks when rains cause both to overflow. The way forward: Building sponge cities Urban flooding isn't inevitable — it's the result of poor design. 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Cities need new flood maps, risk zones, and integrated water-smart plans. Global Example: Room for the River, Netherlands – instead of resisting floods, it made space for them using multi-use flood zones. A future that breathes with the rain It's time to reimagine how our cities handle water — not by draining faster, but by absorbing smarter. Rain isn't the enemy. Poor planning is. To flood-proof our future, cities must reconnect with water — not by pushing it away, but by giving it space, respect, and room to flow. Cities like Indore and Hyderabad have taken early steps — reviving lakes and stepwells, introducing rain gardens in public spaces, and integrating rainwater harvesting systems into new housing layouts. These may seem like small wins, but they offer scalable, replicable models for water-smart urban planning.
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
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4.9 magnitude earthquake jolts Afghanistan
An earthquake of 4.9 magnitude jolted Afghanistan on Sunday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. Afghanistan sits on numerous fault lines between the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates, with a fault line also running directly through Herat. (REUTERS/Representational) As per the NCS, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks. In a post on X, the NCS said, 'EQ of M: 4.9, On: 30/06/2025 08:02:35 IST, Lat: 36.77 N, Long: 71.13 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Afghanistan.' Earlier on June 28, another earthquake of magnitude 4.3 struck the region at a depth of 120km. In a post on X, the NCS said, 'EQ of M: 4.3, On: 28/06/2025 20:01:13 IST, Lat: 36.37 N, Long: 71.06 E, Depth: 120 Km, Location: Afghanistan.' Shallow earthquakes like this one are more dangerous than deeper ones due to their greater energy release closer to the Earth's surface. This causes stronger ground shaking and increased damage to structures and casualties, compared to deeper earthquakes, which lose energy as they travel to the surface. Afghanistan has a history of powerful earthquakes, and the Hindu Kush Mountain range is a geologically active area where quakes occur every year, according to the Red Cross. Afghanistan sits on numerous fault lines between the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates, with a fault line also running directly through Herat. Its location on several active fault lines along the collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates makes it a seismically active region. These plates meet and collide, causing frequent seismic activity. As per the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Afghanistan remains highly vulnerable to natural disasters, including seasonal flooding, landslides and earthquakes. These frequent earthquakes in Afghanistan cause damage to vulnerable communities, which are already grappling with decades of conflict and under-development and have left them with little resilience to cope with multiple simultaneous shocks, UNOCHA noted.
