Gate the Floods: Chennais New Answer to Flooding

Every year, as November edges into December, Chennai holds its breath. The skies grow heavy, brooding with a strange familiarity, and the first drops on the windowpane are enough to send a ripple of unease. For, the petrichor does not pave way for nostalgia but memory of 2015, of rooftops barely visible above floodwaters, and of a city that drowned in its own disbelief. It is almost a pattern now: the rain warnings go out, vehicles are refuelled and parked on the nearest flyover, essentials stocked, and a quiet collective anxiety grips. For those who live on the fringes, in the low-lying stretches where the city bleeds into the marsh or into its many lakes, the arrival of the rains brings with it a whole other ritual. Year after year, they move into schools and community halls, clutching what little they can carry, watching, yet again, as the floods erase the boundaries of their lives. And each season, the same debate resurfaces like the floodwaters themselves officials blame the public for encroaching on waterways, while the public points back at the system that sanctioned those very plots. Between the bureaucracy and the blame, one man dared to find a solution. Though the idea was born from his own need to protect his home, his mission has since grown far beyond personal safety. Now, hes striving to shut out not just the rainwater from homes, but the citys enduring fear itself, by installing one flood gate at a time. Handrey Robbines, the MD of Gate The Flood in Chennai, says that the idea surfaced three years ago, when his house, then under construction in Velachery, was flooded due to rains. At the time, the ground floor and first floor ceilings were already built and there was no way for me to restructure the entire building. But at the same time, I didnt want floods to affect my house, he says, adding that he was then on the lookout for solutions and learnt about flood gates/barriers. I was searching for the product here but I couldnt find it. Whoever I found was importing and re-selling from abroad and the price was so high that I couldnt afford it. Handrey Robbines In his quest for a lasting and accessible solution not just for his own home, but for every household in Chennai vulnerable to the monsoons fury he spent the next two years researching and designing flood gates tailored for Indian homes along with his friend Aravind and a slim team of four. Though flood gates are a universal concept, they had to be customised because, Indian homes do not have a standard door or window size. Also, in every house, we have a grill gate before our doors, so we had to develop a gate that can work best for everyone, explains Handrey. After designing, manufacturing, and testing multiple metals, he chose a specific marine grade of aluminium to gate the floods. I didnt want users to struggle with installation. I wanted it to be something easy for people to lift and place before their gates and lock during heavy monsoons, he adds. How it works Flood gates act as barriers when installed at entry points like doors and when heavy rains cause water to rise, the gate seals tightly against its frame, preventing flooding inside low-lying homes. Gate The Floods product uses two fixed side posts installed beside the door, similar to how mosquito net frames are fitted. During floods, residents will have to slot removable planks one above the other and between these posts to form a sturdy barrier. Rubber seals and tension plates press the planks tightly against the walls and floor, preventing water from seeping through. Once tightened, the setup completely blocks floodwater from entering the house. At homes with no provisions for posts to be fixed on either side of the wall, they install centre-mount posts that can be used and removed whenever necessary. The tallest flood gate that we can provide would be five feet high. But we suggest our customers keep it to a maximum of four feet because what if the flooding is beyond four or five feet? People will have to come out of their homes. But as for width we have no restrictions, Handrey declares. Gate The Flood is both designing and manufacturing the product in Chennai, allowing room for customising the product according to individual houses needs. We have a team of women who are manufacturing and assembling the products in Mambakkam. Currently, there are no other local manufacturers. This is a blue ocean, he says. Before the product was launched this year, Handery found through a market survey that awareness about flood gates in Chennai was very low with barely 10% of the population even aware that such a solution exists. But since the beginning of October, he admits to receiving 400-500 calls, inquiring about the product. Every week, we are doing 100-150 site visits and per day my team is installing 2-3 gates, all with a small team of 24 people, he says. The cost per gate starts at `3,999 and goes up to `4,199. We arrived at this after squeezing prices everywhere without touching the quality. Instead of being the cheapest, we focus on being the smartest choice, he says, concluding, This is not just a business to me, it came out of my own personal need. I want this to be accessible and I want people to have the same peace of mind that I have now during monsoons. To know more about flood gates, call: 044 46312525