Car owners install ramps to safeguard vehicles from Chennai floods

B. Aravind, a working professional residing in Pallikaranai, Chennai, had to go through the harrowing experience of watching his car, an Innova, get engulfed by flood water last monsoon season. He had to spend ₹1.5 lakh and wait nearly five months to get his car fixed.

B. Aravind, a working professional residing in Pallikaranai, Chennai, had to go through the harrowing experience of watching his car, an Innova, get engulfed by flood water last monsoon season. He had to spend ₹1.5 lakh and wait nearly five months to get hiits car fixed.

When the floods wreaked havoc on several homes in Chennai, many lost their valuables, and adding to those expenses were the damages caused to vehicles, which proved to be very costly. Therefore, when heavy rains were predicted last month, several car owners in the city had rushed to park their vehicles on flyovers.

“Last year, though it was raining continuously, there wasn’t much flooding initially. But overnight, we were caught by surprise and flood water came gushing. Before we could realise it, water had entered the car, damaging the engine. I don’t want to live through that experience yet again,” Mr. Aravind said. So, this time, he decided to invest in a ramp for the car. Quite a few people in the city, residing in flood-prone areas like Mr. Aravind, have placed orders for a steel or wooden ramp for their cars.

“The height of the steel ramp that I bought is close to 2.5 ft. So, only if the water level touches beyond 3 ft, will water enter the car. I want to protect my vehicle at any cost,” he adds.

Ramps have also come in handy for those who don’t have easy access to a flyover.

Car owners say while the cost of fixing the vehicle is one problem, the long waiting period to get it back is another painful process. K.M. Shyam Sundar, a businessman and a resident of Noombal in Iyyappanthangal, who spent about ₹1.25 lakh to restore his vehicle, says: “The service period is quite a prolonged one. Parts face the risk of getting rusted as well. This time, I have purchased a new Scorpio. Hence, I decided to invest in a ramp. This one-time investment is far better than spending on repairs every year,” he adds.

Ashwin Badri of Vahaan Stack Parking Solutions says some of the residents in flood-prone areas like Pallikaranai, Ashok Nagar, Tambaram, Iyyappanthangal, and Velachery have ordered for ramps from him. “The ramp is quite easy to install. It would take only 15 minutes. Once we teach them how to do it, they can remove it, and just when they think there is a possibility of flooding, they can reassemble it quickly,” he adds.