We are in the third week of June, yet there are no visible signs of the S.W. monsoon making its appearance in Goa and other parts of the country. There can be no doubt whatsoever that El Nino has impacted several parts of the country, including Goa, and we cannot afford to downplay its impact and consequences. The situation is grim and poses a grave threat to the lives of millions of people who depend totally on water and agriculture for survival.
Surprisingly the church has not yet asked for prayers for rain, unlike in the early days when prayers for rain were recited daily at every mass, and people in villages went in procession with stones on their heads invoking the miraculous powers of St Anthony to send down rain---- And prayers did work wonders. Today it seems that we have lost our faith and rely more on Artificial Intelligence predictions and satellite images and take it for granted that nature will fulfil its duties of yearly cycles without fail.
AF Nazareth, Porvorim
