Kerala has been experiencing heavy rains for the past week. Most of the rivers are swollen, and Kochi has been facing waterlogging issues. The rain has significantly affected people’s lives. Offices are still open, and some are requiring employees to come in. Traveling or commuting to the office during the rain is extremely challenging. Here we have a video from Kochi showing a group of people who live in a hostel returning to their hostel in a JCB.
The video was shared by the Trollathi Instagram page. In the video, we see a waterlogged road in a residential area in Kochi’s Kakkanad area. The narrow roads in the area are extremely difficult to navigate once they become waterlogged. There are open drains in the area which pose a threat to commuters.
In such situations, walking or driving through these areas becomes a challenge. The employees returning from work were probably surprised to see the amount of water on the road and began considering alternate options to get to their hostels and homes. It is unclear whether the stranded people arranged for the backhoe loader, or JCB as people commonly call it, or if it simply happened to be at the spot when they needed it.
In the video, we can see several girls and men sitting and standing inside the scoop of the loader. It is not clear whether anyone is sitting in the cabin with the driver. The JCB driver carefully drives through the waterlogged street and takes them to their hostels. The JCB or backhoe loader has ample ground clearance, reducing the chances of it getting stuck. Even if it does get stuck, it can recover using the hydraulic arms at the front and rear.
This is not the first time we have seen something like this in India. Desperate times call for desperate measures. The only aim of all the people in the JCB was to reach their homes safely. While many may find this action extreme, it appears they had no other choice and were forced to do this.
Driving a car or riding a bike through a flooded road is extremely dangerous, and there are a few things to keep in mind. Never drive through a flooded road as the chances of damaging your vehicle are higher in such cases.
The water may enter the cabin and even the engine via the air intake, causing the car to stop. If your car stalls in the water, never attempt to restart it, as this would only cause further damage.
Even if you are traveling on a familiar road, always be alert as the rain may have damaged the road, increasing the chances of losing balance and falling into the water.
Also try to avoid taking new routes or unfamiliar roads during this time to avoid any trouble. During the rainy season, try to avoid traveling and only go out when it is absolutely necessary. Also, try to look for alternate routes to avoid driving through flooded roads.
