Why are Chennai residents ‘lifting’ houses?

Residents of certain inundation-prone areas in Chennai are increasingly seeking the benefits of building-lifting technique

D. Bhuvanesh and his family of six lost the fear of the monsoon in 2020 when they had their independent house at Telephone Nagar in Perungudi lifted by 5.75 feet. Before they had that improvement carried out, flood waters would wade into their rooms during heavy downpours.

“The years 2016 to 2018 were the worst,” recalls Bhuvanesh, a resident of Perungudi for over two decades.

Much of the problem began when Greater Chennai Corporation started blacktopping interior roads without proper milling. “Our house sunk 1.5 feet below the road level,” says Bhuvanesh, a software professional.

During the monsoon, the family would shift all their belongings from the ground to the first floor. “We would return after the rains, a practice we followed for at least four years,” he says.

After hearing about “house lifting technique”, they found a service provider who charged them ₹3 lakh for the first three feet and ₹50,000 for every additional feet. “The work was pretty simple and fast. It was completed in one month. We just had to remove all our things from the ground floor for the labourers to undertake work on raising and filling with sand,” says Bhuvanesh. As homework, he had visited a few projects in Nehru Nagar and a building (housing a bank) where this technology had already been adopted.

The civil work of laying the floor and tiles was undertaken by another contract company. Bhuvanesh says at least four other residents at his street have lifted their houses since 2000 to stay safe from any flood-like situation.

In T. Nagar, B. Balaji had his house raised by one feet in 2022. “We did not go with “jacking system” as it was an old house with the frontage having been added in 1992. We did not want to weaken the building in any way, so we went in for the simpler solution of adding one feet gravel and raising the height by just one feet. Now, our house is above the road level and we are safe unless there is heavy downpour lasting many days,” says Balaji, an insurance surveyor.

The 2021 December rains forced the family to find a solution. The rains had flooded central parts of the city including T. Nagar and Ashok Nagar. “We were literally swimming in the house and we dug a small hole to push the water that had collected in the rooms. We also used a pump to drain the water,” he recalls.

A simple Google search will throw up a number of firms that are engaged in raising height of houses. R. Yuga Balan, proprietor of one such firm says that although lifting a house in flood-prone areas is not new it caught up after the Chennai Rains of 2015.

“We get maximum enquiries in the month of January to March, a majority from areas close to a lake where the road height has gone up,” says Balan.

Structural stability

Buildings that are more than 40 years old must be assessed for structural stability before being lifted. “Apartments with ground plus four floors can also go in for lifting technology,” he says.

Benny Raphael, head of department, Civil Engineering, IIT-Madras, says that from a structural point of view there are no specific restrictions regarding plinth level from the ground.

“The main consideration is the usability, the number of steps people have to climb to enter the building, the slope from the existing road level to the ground level,” says the professor.

Increasing the height of a building does not weaken the structure in any way. Benny adds, “The foundation has to be adequately designed to ensure the stability of the structure. It can be done, even if the plinth level is high.”

All eyes on temple in Nanganallur

This year’s North East Monsoon will serve as a litmus test for members of Sri Guruvayoorappan Asthika Samajam that manages the Sri Utthara Guruvayoorappan Temple at Ram Nagar in Nanganallur. This is the first monsoon the temple will be facing after having been raised.

“The temple was raised by 5.5 feet by engaging the service of a company based in Haryana, so we are confident about not facing any repeat of past events,” says N.V. Subramanian, secretary of the Samajam.

In this whole exercise, the entire structure of the temple was not disturbed, he says.

The heavy rains of 2017-18 led the temple management to consider raising the height of the temple. “Sewage mixed with water was collected on the temple premises for four days. None of us could enter the temple and a bad smell hovered over the premises, spoiling the sanctity of the holy place. We were pained to see that,” says Subramanian.

As per the temple authorities, the difference between the road level and the temple was 2.5 feet. The drainage system added to the problems as even during minor downpours water mixed with sewage entered the temple premises.

During the executive committee meeting of 2022-23, it was decided that lifting technology should be adopted. “The company had the experience of raising heights of various temples including a 300-year-old temple in Guindy, so we went with them,” says the secretary.

After the lifting work was completed, it took the temple management 10 months to complete all the related civil work. During this period, a makeshift arrangement was made adjacent to the temple for devotees to offer worship.

On July 12, the kumbhabhishekham of the temple, which is more than 50 years old, was celebrated with much fervour.

Published - October 12, 2024 09:06 pm IST