The situation of the newly constructed Islamabad International Airport (IIAP) has shocked many as portions of the airport’s departure lounge have collapsed due to rainfall.
On Sunday, the faulty construction of the Islamabad airport came under scanner yet again, after Geo News obtained a new video, showing parts of the airport roof fall incessantly as rainwater drip in.
In the video, even a puddle could be seen on the ground, with people being forced to walk around to avoid it. The new video comes as further proof of the faulty construction of the airport, that had emerged earlier.
Situation of the newly constructed Islamabad International Airport after rains .
The Airport was reportedly build with the help of chinese company pic.twitter.com/5UqhBd7XPq— Megh Updates (@MeghUpdates) August 16, 2020
The alleged faulty construction of the new IIAP has been under investigation for the last two years, according to local reports. The airport had been “repeatedly flooded by rainwater”, show reports.
PCAA WANTS DETAILED REPORT WITHIN 3 DAYS
In a series of tweets, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) mentioned that its Director-General “has taken cognizance of the damage caused by rainfall at IIAP”.
“DG PCAA has taken cognizance of the damage caused by the rain at IIAP during early hours of 14-08-20. During the heavy thunderstorm, 56 mm of rain fell in less than 90 minutes. The torrential rain was accompanied by 37 knots winds. The thunderstorm ended just before 4.00 am,” it said on Twitter.
“As a result, heavy leakage of water occurred at various points of the airport. Furthermore, numerous pieces of false ceiling also dropped down at some locations. DG CAA has issued directions for a comprehensive report along with a permanent solution within three days,” it added.
‘MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS UNDER CONSIDERATION’
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority further tweeted, “According to the airport manager and his maintenance staff, heavy leakage occurred due to torrential rain and it resulted in overflowing of drains at the rooftop of the passenger terminal building.”
“According to the Civil Aviation Authority there are multiple solutions under consideration, including adding more water pipes for quick flushing of rainwater into multiple drains or change the entire drainage design over the rooftop,” it added.
The PCAA also said, “The DG PCAA has directed that Project Director IIAP and Airport Manager IIAP shall submit a joint report on the solution to this recurring problem and will also take all necessary measures to prevent the same in future.”
Federal Minister for Aviation, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, has also taken notice of the damage, and according to local media, the Federal Minister and senior officers of the Aviation Division and the PCAA are likely to visit the airport on Monday.
According to reports, the new airport became fully operational in early 2018, with all flight operations moving there from the Benazir Bhutto International Airport.
Also, according to a Twitter post by one, MeghUpdates (@MeghUpdates), the airport was reportedly built with the help of a Chinese company.
“Situation of the newly constructed Islamabad International Airport after rains. The Airport was reportedly built with the help of Chinese company”
Sure, there have been reports on poor-quality ‘Made in China’ goods, but whether Islamabad airport is one of those outcomes is yet to be confirmed by the authorities.