Barrels tied to a bamboo frame may not look like a lifesaver, but the seemingly crude formation can transport at least 10 persons at a time. Then there are lifebuoys made of discarded bottles and bowl boats made of plastic water tanks — all designed by the Fire and Rescue unit, Kadappakada, for emergency rescue operations during the floods. “There are pockets where boats and dinghies cannot reach and this is an ideal option to evacuate people and livestock. Bamboo is used for the frame and air-tight barrels are tied to it after checking buoyancy. We can make different sizes and the large ones can be used for transporting 10-15 persons,” says District Fire officer K. Hari Kumar.
Mostly made of plastic junk, the department had used similar designs to evacuate people from Pandalam during the floods of 2018. “This time we transformed a discarded 5,000 litre water tank into a bowl boat. After cutting it into two parts we added a frame on the bottom so that it floats on water safely. Six or seven people can be transported on this.” He adds they can also make rafts that suit the topography of a particular area. “Usually boats or others craft cannot go in certain polders or some areas near the Kallada river that are are part of the irrigation project. Then there are also places like Munroe Thuruth where such rafts come in handy since they are not heavy and easy to transport. In emergency situations, you can depend on them instead of the jankar services,” he says.
The major highlight of the rafts is that they can be assembled on spot by anyone. The material needed can be easily taken to flooded areas or even stored at vulnerable regions such as islands to be used during emergencies. “The construction is very simple, all you need is the barrels along with rope and bamboo needed for the frame. We can source bamboo from many places and only six barrels are required to make a raft. If people living in flood-prone areas want to know the construction of rafts or lifebuoys, we will go there and demonstrate,” he adds.
