WATCH | Delhi Driver Grows Plants Atop Auto Roof To Beat Sweltering Heat

“It is now like a natural AC (air conditioner). My passengers are so happy after the ride that they don’t mind paying me an extra 10-20 bucks ($0.13-.26)," said Kumar.

Delhi's temperature reached 45 degrees last month

Source : AFP

New Delhi: As the searing heatwave continues to swelter the national capital, an auto driver has found a unique way to keep his auto cool in Delhi. According to a report by news agency AFP, an auto driver named Mahnedra Kumar has planted shrubs and small plants atop his green and yellow autorickshaw to beat the heat.

48-year-old Kumar has over 20 varieties of shrubs, crops, and flowers, attracting commuters and passersby to click photos of his “moving garden”, AFP reported.

“Around two years ago I had this idea during the peak of the summer season. I thought if I can grow some plants on the roof, it will keep my auto cool and give relief from the heat to my passengers," Kumar told AFP who has also installed two mini coolers and fans in the auto. 

“It is now like a natural AC (air conditioner). My passengers are so happy after the ride that they don’t mind paying me an extra 10-20 bucks ($0.13-.26)," said Kumar.

VIDEO: Delhi driver grows garden on auto-rickshaw roof to beat the heat.

Yellow and green auto-rickshaws are ubiquitous on New Delhi's roads but Mahendra Kumar's vehicle stands out -- it has a garden on its roof aimed at keeping passengers cool during the searing summer season pic.twitter.com/9DIYv7lVR2

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 3, 2022

He further told AFP that he had the idea of doing this two years ago, so now he installed a mat on his autos roof with a sack on it. On the sack, he spread some soil and put grass on it from the roadside. He took some seeds from his friends and acquaintances which sprouted into plants within days. 

“It does not require much effort at all. I just water the plants using a bottle twice a day," he told AFP. 

Kumar further added that he was doing his “own small bit" for the environment by planting lettuce, tomatoes, and millets on his autorickshaw.

North India is sweltering under heatwaves with temperatures reaching 46 degrees in several places. The temperatures in Delhi reached 45 degrees Celsius resulting in the highest maximum temperature in the last 12 years and the hottest April in the last 122 years.