Video: Foreign Tourists Take Bulldozer Ride Through Flooded Vadodara Road | Watch

Vadodara: A video showing a group of foreign nationals standing on the metal scoop of a bulldozer in flood-stricken Vadodara has gone viral, sparking mixed reactions. While some criticized the scene as "flood tourism," others were intrigued by the unusual spectacle.

The video shows a bulldozer navigating a flooded road, with foreign nationals—evidently tourists in summer attire and backpacks, smiling and gripping the bulldozer’s metal scoop at the front of the heavy machinery.

Local residents stood in front of shops along the flooded road and stared at the foreign nationals - some of them took photos - as the bulldozer drove on.

Some have raised concerns over waste of resources amid the flood, when hundreds of stranded people have been asking for help to evacuate them. The bulldozer could have been put to better use, such as clearing clogged drains and debris from flooded roads, local reports quoting residents said.

Vadodara faced a crisis-like situation after the water level in Vishwamitri river rose sharply following heavy rain for three days. Water has receded from most parts of the city now. Of the over 6,000 people who were rescued and relocated, 1,610 have returned to their homes, officials said.

On the initial days when rainwater started entering homes in Vadodara, hundreds of residents had sent SOS and waited for help to arrive. Self-help groups helped with whatever resources they had.

The State Emergency Operations Centre said only four places in the state received 15 mm to 26 mm of rain between 6 am and 2 pm, while other parts remained dry or received light rain during this period. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that a deep depression over the Kutch region might turn into a cyclonic storm.