Door turns raft as Bhadrak man ferries pregnant wife to hospital
In a display of ingenuity, a man in Odisha, India, built a makeshift raft from his house door to transport his pregnant wife to a hospital during severe flooding. The couple successfully reached the health center, where the wife gave birth to a healthy boy.
Why it matters
The story highlights the critical lack of infrastructure and emergency services in rural areas during natural disasters, as well as the resilience of local communities.
Balasore: A sudden labour pain in a flooded village could send anyone into a tailspin. More so if there are stories of crocodile sightings floating around. But Parshuram Mallick (36) stayed calm, kept his wits about him and did what few would have done — tore down the wooden door of his house and turned it into a makeshift raft to carry his wife to the nearest hospital.But he was not done. Three days later, the family made the return journey home on the same makeshift raft, but now with a new member. Parshuram’s story, one of ingenuity, also exposed the lacuna in the system.On Aug 18, Poojarani Mallick, the 28-year-old wife of Parshuram, went into labour. The nearby Mantei river had breached its banks and flooded Dadhibamanpur village in Bhadrak district.
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