Afghan taxi drivers have gathered a creative solution to save them and their passengers from suffocating heat.
In the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures easily exceed 40 degrees Celsius, blue taxis can be seen with an air conditioning unit (AC) tied to the roof with an exhaust hose that delivers cold air through the passenger window.
“It began to get extremely hot three or four years ago. The CA systems of these cars did not work and the repairs were too expensive. So I went to a technician, [and] He had made a personalized cooler, “said driver Gul Mohammad.
The 32 -year -old spent 3,000 Afghans ($ 43) for the system, which connects with the battery of his taxi and reopens regularly with water.
“This works better than [built-in] Ca acs only cool the front: this refrigerator extends air everywhere, ”said fellow driver Abdul Bari.
Other devices are connected to solar panels, also mounted on the taxi roof.
Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, is also one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. It is particularly affected by heat waves and suffers an increase in drought.
Murtaza, a 21 -year -old technician, said that taxi drivers’ demand has been growing in the last two or three years.
“Many cars were not equipped with air conditioning anyway, so we are installing these,” he said AFP In his small store in the center of Kandahar.
Afghan cities are often saturated with aged vehicles, which enjoy a last minute life after being transferred from neighboring countries.
“When there is no colder, it becomes very difficult,” said Norullah, a 19 -year -old passenger who did not provide a surname, his face centimeters from the cold air explosion. “These drivers are helping to solve the problem, and that is great.”
