From local staff using bamboo to clear clogged drain and inadvertently tearing off a canopy in Rajkot to ‘roofing issues’ in Guwahati and Jabalpur airport canopy collapse, several airports across India this monsoon have been unable to withstand heavy rains. Preliminary reports from some of the damaged airports across the country to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation have flagged off human error to maintenance and weather issues as the reasons for the recent spate of mishaps.
Ministry officials told CNN-News18 that for Delhi Airport, where one person was killed due to a canopy collapse, the final assessment report is awaited but prima facie it seems that rusting pillars and water seeping through the ceilings went unnoticed till the structure started collapsing.
“It didn’t come down in one go. The ceiling withstood the pressure of the rain water for some time. When it gave away, water gushed out and the rusting pillars crashed,” a source explained, adding that this was a preliminary assessment and the final report from IIT Delhi is awaited to understand the exact cause. IIT Delhi has been given one month to complete the structural audit of the Delhi Airport Terminal-1 building.
Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu ordered an audit of 140 airports across the country after the Delhi airport collapse killed one. Airport Authority of India and 15 private airport developers have been asked to submit their structural audit report within the first week of July.
Rajkot
The report submitted to Centre by the Rajkot Airport authorities suggests that the local maintenance staff tried to use a bamboo to clear the clogged drain on the canopy and ended up tearing the canopy material. “Dry leaves and similar debris clogged the drain. Water accumulated after rains. The local staff tried to use a bamboo to clear the drain but ended up tearing the canopy,” sources said. No one was injured since the canopy was damaged at the passenger drop-off area.
Jabalpur
While technical investigation is still on, heavy rains have been blamed for the canopy collapse in Jabalpur, which damaged the car of an Income Tax official. Officials said this was the first instance of heavy rains that the airport had faced and it was being audited as to what structural changes are required to augment the building and the canopies. Initial assessment suggests that the canopy’s tent could not withstand the pressure of the accumulating rain water and caused the iron tent section to fall on the car.
Guwahati
The Guwahati incident reported on the last day of March has been termed a ‘roofing issue.’ Authorities have reported to the Centre that a part of the roof was old and gave away. Rain water gushed in through this broken section causing what many social media users reported as “a waterfall” at the Guwahati airport.
Delhi
DIAL has blamed the record rainfall in Delhi for the T1 canopy collapsed which killed one and injured eight. The Terminal 1 building has been shut for air operations and could take a month or two to resume operations. Officials indicated that once the IIT Delhi audit report comes, the entire canopy structure of T1 is likely to be brought down and rebuilt before passengers are allowed back in the building.
Bangalore and Lucknow airports have also reported water leakage issues. The six incidents of mishaps at various airports reported between March and July 2024 are highest in the recent years, flagging off concerns about maintenance.
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