RAWALPINDI: Rainwater started dripping again through the roof of Islamabad International Airport (IIA) on Wednesday, as airport management placed buckets and dust-bins underneath leaks to stop the water from spreading further.Earlier on Aug 14, 2020, a major portion of the false ceiling over the domestic and international lounges at the airport, collapsed during heavy downpour early in the morning. No onewas injured in the incident, there was no disruption of service and the concerned authorities began repairing the roof.“We are trying to rectify the situation with help of the engineering directorate of PCAA,” aviation authorities said.After Wednesday’s downpour, rain water started dripping again through the roof of several areas of the airport on level 3.

A senior aviation official said that they have been monitoring rain since the false ceiling had collapsed and to some extent repair work on the leaking area has been completed. “We are heading towards a permanent solution of the problem as all the concerned people including the designer, engineers and other relevant people have been called for seeking a permanent solution of the problem,” he said, adding that rain water had collected on the rooftop and work on repairs is being done.

After the false ceiling collapsed at IIA on Aug 14, aviation secretary and PCAA Director General Hasan Nasir Jamy visited the airport on Aug 18, 2020 and sought action against those responsible for negligence through a fact-finding report about cause of the leaks, whiletalking to the airport manager and other concerned staff members.

Mr Jamy has ordered an inquiry into heavy leakage of rain water in the concourse halls, domestic arrival lounge, CIP lounges and international departures area, which caused the ceiling to collapse earlier. The director generalalong with senior officials from the Aviation Division, project director and additional director went on the rooftop of the building to inspecteddrain pipes and leakages.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2020