Hyderabad: Heavy rains in the city which led to overflowing of water bodies like the Balapur Lake by literally submerged colonies in places like Hafeez Baba Nagar. Apart from having their homes flooded and sewage water causing damage to furniture, affected victims also have lost their properties: as staggering 4000 plus vehicles have been wrecked acros Hyderabad in the floods that ensued over the last one week.
Some of the the most affected areas in the Old City are Hafeez Baba Nagar, Al Jubail, Omer Colony, Falaknuma, Chaderghat and Balapur, where people on Saturday night witnessed their vehicles being washed away in floods. None of them could save their cars or bikes. Videos of vehicles being washed away have been doing rounds on social media since Saturday night. Mohammed Zubair, a resident of Hafeez Baba Nagar’s C Block, who found his vehicle on Monday morning, said, “Thank god after 2 days I spotted my vehicle which was carried away due to the heavy water flow. I saw it nearly two kilomters away from my house, which was also severely damaged.”
Fawad, a resident of Sayeed Colony said, “My chevrolet car is totally damaged as it was washed away in the floods of Saturday night. The vehicle’s windshield, doors, seats and entire body is in a pretty bad condition. I feels as if the car met with a severe accident. I had saved up a lot of money to purchase it, and never expected to see my car in such a condition.”
People often buy cars on loans or on finance, which is why the damage was even financially more devastating. To witness one’s car submerged in water, especially if one is paying monthly installments, would be a very painful sight. But that exactly is what many witnessed at Hafeez Baba Nagar on Saturday night. Cars were seen being swept away by the heavy flow of water coming from the Balapur Lake. Similar scenes also ensued at SR Nagar and Chandrayangutta, where rising water levels filled basements and drowned vehicles..
Morover, hundreds of other vehicles which were parked on the streets had aolso been also washed away. Bikes, autos, cars and even goods carrier trucks were swept away in water. When asked about repaurs and expenses, a four-wheeler mechanic, Mohd Siraj, said that the fixing vehicles which are damaged in such floods is usuallty very difficult. “Cars which are flooded or washed away in water are seldom repaired. Mostly, such cars will be sold in scrap, as it costs a lot of money and takes a long time to repair such machines as well. It is better to buy another car instead of repairing damaged ones, given that such vehicles have to be literally fixed inside out,”Siraj added.
He also pointed out that onl vehicles which are not damaged inside, and wherein water has entered the engine, may cost a minimum of Rs 25,000, while for others such as electronic vehicles (like sedans and XUV models) may cost even Rs.1 lakh for its owners. Siraj stated that vehicles are being towed from nearby areas and are being kept in workshops. For motorcycle owners however, the expenses will be relatively less if they attempt to repair their two-wheelers. Salauddin, a two-wheeler mechanic said that it will cost a minimum of Rs.1500 to fix a bike that has drowned completely in water.
“It can be done by changing air filters, clearing water from silencers, and replacing batteries etc. If a vehicle’s which body is damaged, then new body parts will be needed, and the cost will increase. Moreover, if the chassis is damaged, then there is no use of repairing such vehicles,” Salahuddin told Siasat.com. He added that in most cases however, the bikes will be severely damaged and that repairs are likely to be expensive affairs.