Rainwater pours down at Islamabad airport as false ceilings collapse

Published July 19, 2021
Rainwater falls down from the ceiling at Islamabad International Airport. — DawnNewsTV
Rainwater falls down from the ceiling at Islamabad International Airport. — DawnNewsTV

Following the latest round of downpour in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Monday, rainwater entered the Islamabad International Airport, causing its false ceiling to collapse partially.

The rainwater poured down from the ceilings above several counters, including immigration, and caused computers and other equipment to malfunction.

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) staff stood by helplessly as parts of the ceiling came crashing down due to the weight of water.

However, officials said that airport operations were not suspended and work continued as usual. They added that repair work was underway and would be completed soon

The officials expressed the hope that such incidents would not happen again.

This is not the first time that the gleaming Islamabad airport has been damaged by rain. A major portion of the false ceiling at the airport’s international departure and concourse hall collapsed during a downpour in August 2020.

Heavy leakage of water was observed in the hall after that incident but no one was injured.

“The design of the outer ceilings is such that it allows for entry and circulation of air in areas where there is no air-conditioning. During high-speed winds, we sometimes encounter with such a situation,” Aviation Division spokesman Senior Joint Secretary Abdul Sattar Khokhar said at the time.

An inquiry into the leakage was later ordered.

The airport, which was built at a cost of Rs105 billion, became operational in May 2018. It has two runways — each 12,000 feet long and 150 feet wide, taxiways and aprons for wide-body aircraft.

The construction work on the airport started in April 2007. It is the largest airport in the country and is designed to facilitate 15 million passengers annually in its first phase.

Hardly seven months into its completion, a number of incidents such as the collapse of the false ceiling, choking of sewerage lines and presence of stinking water in offices occurred since the airport became functional.

Authorities had decided to shift all staff and workers to an alternative place when the customs cargo (airfreight unit) building started caving in — just six months after its opening in 2018.

Opinion

Editorial

Rushed legislation
Updated 06 Nov, 2024

Rushed legislation

For all its stress on "supremacy of parliament", the ruling coalition has wasted no opportunity to reiterate where its allegiances truly lie.
Jail reform policy
06 Nov, 2024

Jail reform policy

THE state is making a fresh attempt to improve conditions in Pakistan’s penitentiaries by developing a national...
BISP overhaul
06 Nov, 2024

BISP overhaul

IT has emerged that the spouses of over 28,500 Sindh government employees have been illicitly benefiting from BISP....
Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....