IIA ceiling leaks again

RAWALPINDI:

The rain spell on the weekend once again left the ceilings of the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) dripping, a recurring instance ever since the airport became operational two years ago.

The Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Director General (DG) Hassan Nasir Jami have taken notice of the leakage in false ceilings after a video went viral on the internet and ordered a probe into it.

As seen in the footage, after the rain spell on Friday, several spots in the ceiling of the arrival and departure lounges of domestic and international flights started dripping while the false ceiling also fell incessantly.

The airport maintenance staff immediately started the repair work and speculated that the leakage could be due to the drainage overflow following excessive rain.

Notably, the aviation minister made a brief visit to IIA on August 14 to attend the cake-cutting ceremony in consonance with 74th Independence Day. However, the minister failed to notice the matter due to stopgap measures taken by the IIA staff and left the airport after attending the event.

Later, the video circulated on the internet after which the CAA DG has taken notice of the dripping ceilings of the airport.

Jami has directed the related officials to submit a comprehensive report on the matter in three days along with suggestions on the permanent solution of the recurring issue.

IIA manager and the maintenance staff were of the view that the leakage was caused as a result of damage done to the roof by a cloudburst on Friday.

CAA officials said that they were reviewing multiple solutions to get the issue resolved permanently.

They include the installation of more drainage lines to siphon off rainwater as well as the change in the design of the existing drainage system.

CAA DG has sought a comprehensive report and a permanent solution within three days for the damages caused to the Islamabad International Airport by heavy rains.

During the thunderstorm, 56 mm of rain fell in less than 90 minutes and damaged various points of the airport, including concourse halls, domestic arrival lounge, VIP lounges and international departure areas, said the Aviation Division spokesperson, Abdul Sattar Khokhar.

According to the airport manager and his maintenance staff, heavy leakage occurred following the heavy rain showers that resulted in overflowing of drains on the roof of the passenger terminal building, causing several pieces of false ceiling to come off in various spots.

The CAA said that there were multiple solutions under consideration at the moment, such as adding more water pipes to flush the rain water into drains, or change the entire drainage design on the rooftop.

The director-general asked the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) project director and airport manager to submit a joint report on the solution to this recurring problem to prevent it from happening again.

Sarwar was expected to visit the airport on Monday, along with other senior officers of the Aviation Division.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2020.