Viral: Afghan Taxi Drivers Build DIY AC Units to Beat 40°C Heat—Internet Amazed by Jugaad

There are many countries in the world where people are experts at using jugaad (creative hacks) to get things done. These people take everyday objects and transform them into something innovative and useful—often things no one else would imagine. A video of one such jugaad is currently going viral and sparking discussions. In the video, a man from Afghanistan has come up with a cooling hack so extreme that it might leave you stunned at how someone could think of something so daring.

The viral video is from the Kandahar district in southern Afghanistan, where rising temperatures and intense heat are making life very difficult. The temperature there has crossed 40 degrees Celsius. To beat the heat, a driver of a blue taxi installed a cooling system so unique, it's shocking people online. These drivers have set up handmade cooling systems in their vehicles—some have installed basic cooling devices, while others have gone as far as adding full air conditioning units.

Driver Gul Mohammad told news agency AFP that extreme heat became common about 3–4 years ago, and the heat would be so intense that even the car’s AC systems would fail. So he visited a technician and had this kind of system installed so that neither he nor his passengers would be affected by the heat. This unique air conditioning setup cost him about 3,000 Afghanis (around $43). It runs on the taxi’s battery and requires water to be added daily.

It’s worth noting that Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, and also one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The country is especially affected by hot winds and is grappling with increasing droughts.