Monsoons and Mold

The Monsoon season is in full swing here in the subcontinent.  This year Delhi has expereinced recond rains. In one weekend in August, we recieved more than 100% of the expected rain for the entire month. It has been relentless.


Delhi is not engineered for this much rain.  Actually, Delhi is not engineered for any rain. I suppose India has many strengths, but civil engineering is not one of them. Drainage is virtually non-existant and where there is drainage, it usually just moves the water from one non-critical road to one that is an essential artery.  Many of the new expressways have been build with underpasses into which the overpasses actually drain.  As much as I complain about the lack of drainage, at least we are not a couple of hundred miles to the west in Pakistan.  They have a serious drainage problem!


As part of the lack of engineer prowess, they build all their buildings in Delhi out of heat-retaining, highly porous concrete and just for an added measure of WTF they put flat roofs on the top.  These flat roofs act as heat gatherers in the summers and rain gatherers during the monsoons.  Pure Genius.  Our roof is purpose made for this since it has a three foot wall that surrounds it to ensure the water pools and is tiled for extra heat capturing.  The added bonus of the tiles is that since Indian builders pay no attention to detail and do not grout exactly every tile, these slabs channel the water nicely down to the unprotected concrete below which absorbs the excess water like a ginormous sponge.  Very well planned.  


At first we noticed a little discoloring around the tops of the walls in some of the rooms, but as the season wore on, this began to change.  Little by little, the white washed walls began to take on orange varicose veins.  The veins then began to turn into a perverse modern art masterpiece as some of our walls gave in to the moisture.  After another few days........ mold!


The mold arrived like Congress on a kick-back - silently, but purposefully.  It erupted on the scene and before the week-end was over, had move from the corners down many of the walls.  It was a full fledged invasion.  Like any good apartment dweller, we turned to the internet to see what exactly was now cohabiting with us and found a few sights that scared us into a frenzy.  After a few short minutes of browsing, we were convinced we had 12 hours to live!


We called the landlord who came over Monday evening, took a look and in her very nonchalant and not confidence inspiring way, said she would take care of it.  She was, after all, leaving for Cambodia in the morning for a two week vacation.  What to worry.  


In the morning, surprisingly, the contractor showed up with a small army of mold fighting ninjas and set to work removing the unwelcomed guest. The used an odorless and apparently effective chemical, as by the time I arrived home from work, the mold was gone and there was no sign that the anti-mold brigade had ever been there.  


I had also stressed to the landlord that until they fix the roof, the mold would return, but the contractor had insisted that they cannot fix the roof, and in turn, the walls until the rains subside.  I kind of understand this, but it does not make it any less annoying.  So until the next season arrives, we wait with our orange Van Gogh-like walls and the spectre of more mold!