Tata Harrier Passengers Trapped In Flooded Underpass: Rescued By Locals (Video)
It has recently been raining heavily in many parts of Maharashtra. Rains have caused floods in many cities. A video from the Thane district is now being circulated widely on the internet. It shows two locals from the place swimming to a flooded underpass to save the people trapped in a sinking Tata Harrier SUV.
The video starts by showing the flooded underpass that connects Thane’s Narivali and Uttarshiv villages. The water levels stand quite high. A White Tata Harrier is seen in a half-submerged state. The bonnet is completely underwater. Two people are seen trapped inside. The position that the vehicle is in, is making it difficult for them to get out. Two locals are seen swimming towards the SUV.
They communicate with the driver and soon try to move the vehicle. The vehicle’s rear is seen in a slightly raised position, compared to the front end. The buoyancy is likely lifting the rear, while the front remains submerged due to the weights of the engine, drivetrain, and the occupants.
To balance the weight, two of the rescuers climb on top of it and even push it downwards. Soon, the vehicle levels enough for the occupants to get out. Towards the end of the video, they are seen escaping to safety.
This incident occurred on a day when districts like Thane, Mumbai, Palghar, Navi Mumbai, and Raigad received heavy rainfall. The two occupants of the Harrier SUV are indeed lucky to have made it out alive. The valour of the rescuers truly deserves praise.
Waterlogging and flash floods have become common in many cities in Maharashtra. These often bring traffic (and life) to a standstill. Poor urban planning and compromised drainage systems are often cited as the key causes of waterlogging. Many parts of Mumbai now get flooded if it rains for an hour straight! This has created major dissatisfaction among residents.
Before taking your vehicle to flooded roads, it is important to know the wading depth and ground clearance of it. Wading depth defines the maximum height of water column through which a vehicle can travel without water getting into its powertrain and damaging the same.
Getting the speed right is probably the most important thing in driving through flooded roads. You have to slow down and downshift (if you’re driving a manual car) to the lowest feasible gear. Do not accelerate or decelerate sharply when you’re inside the waterlogged area. Maintain a steady pace. This will help in preventing stalling.
If the vehicle stalls for some reason, just do not try to restart it. Call the tow truck without hesitation. Furthermore, if you have to stop on a flooded patch, shift to neutral and keep the rpms steady even when the vehicle is brought to a complete halt.
If you’re driving an automatic car through waterlogged patches, it is advisable to switch to the ‘Sport’ or ‘Manual’ modes of the transmission. This will allow you to stay in a low gear and keep rpms higher than usual. Select the lowest gear possible. Whenever possible, do the water crossing in one go.
To maximise safety on a flooded patch, always make the right entry into it and keep steady pace to maintain the advantage. Enter the patch, create a ‘bow wave’, and drive at a constant pace that would allow the vehicle to always stay behind it. This will prevent water from entering the powertrain, as it creates a small pocket of air under the bonnet, which prevents water from entering the engine bay.
Flooded patches can cause severe damage to vehicles. Water entering the engine can lead to what is called ‘hydrostatic lock’. It is when water enters the cylinder and causes piston seizure. This happens because water is incompressible. When the piston tries to compress it, it fails and seizes.
Exposure to water (especially contaminated water) can also cause other issues like rusting and corrosion at various areas of the vehicle. It is thus, recommended that you avoid taking your vehicles to fllooded roads, and do so only if it is extremely urgent.
If things take an unpleasant turn and your vehicle ends up being submerged, you should know to get out of it at the earliest. Opening the doors won’t be as easy as it sounds, due to the pressure exerted by the water column outside. The best bet is to use the windows. You should roll them down as soon as you foresee the danger.
Once submerged it wouldn’t be practical to open them normally. If you’re stuck inside, and the power windows don’t work anymore, the only option is to break the glass. Use a sharp object (the tip of your removable front headrests) for this.
Take a deep breath before letting the water in, and as soon as the window opens, get out and swim to safety. If the windows don’t open, keep calm and wait till the car gets filled by water, for opening the doors!