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THE HARD LOOK

AT ISSUES THAT MATTER TO DELHIS PRESENT AND FUTURE
FRIDAY I AUGUST 9 I 2013

AIRPORT FLOODING

HE Indira Gandhi Inter- its internal drains. national Airport, one of the largest airports in DIAL DEFENCE South Asia, saw major In its defence, a DIAL spokesperson flooding on June 16 fol- said, At the time of its inception, the lowing heavy rains, which affected the then Palam air base did not suffer from use of X-ray machines, lifts and con- a large height differential from its surveyor belts. While the airport operator rounding areas, including the nearby claimed flight operations remained highway (now NH-8). As a result, the more or less normal, the flooding was run-off water was manageable. Howattributed to choked drains around ever, due to repeated repairs and expansion of NH-8, now the highway is at the airport. The incident has raised questions an elevation 17m higher than T3. This on the lack of preparedness on the part elevation difference exists along a of airport operator Delhi International 3.5kmstretchofNH-8.Asaresult,water Airport Ltd (DIAL) and government runs off the ramps of NH-8 and heads straight for T3. agencies, including the The official added, Public Works Depart- THREAT TO WhenT3wasbeingconment (PWD) and the AEROCITY TOO structed, runways 27 and Delhi Jal Board (DJB), 28 were already at a cerand brought to the fore THE WATER-LOGGING the lack of proper problem is unlikely to be lim- tain level. The new construction, therefore, had drainage facilities in and ited to the airport premises tobeatthesamelevel. around the airport. DIAL only. It could also affect Aerocity. According to sources, DIAL also claimed and the agencies are now Aerocity was situated at a engaged in a blame game lower elevation than the air- that run-off water from six villages Mehram with the airport operator port. While the internal blaming the peripheral drainage system of IGIA will Nagar, Mahipalpur, drainage system main- take care of the water inside Samal Khan, Shahbad tained by the agencies and the airport premises, the city Mohammadpur, Bithe latter blaming the in- side water might be an issue jwasan and Kapashera enters the airport as ternal drainage system for Aerocity if the peripheral drainage was not strengththere was no proper maintained by DIAL. ened, the sources said. Acdrainage in these cording to PWD, the Dwarka INUNDATED colonies. We have been underpass has been getting The day after IGI Air- flooded lately as Aerocity in talks with NHAI over ports Terminal T3 was in- has blocked the area that this issue and they have undated following heavy used to absorb the water said they will seek the showers, the government flowing from Mahipalpur to help of PWD and get an called an emergency Shankar Vihar. existing drain along NHmeeting. Chief secretary AEROCITY IS a 43-acre 8 connected with a drain D M Spolia asked PWD project commissioned in constructed by PWD. and DIAL to undertake a 2007. It was to be ready in However, a senior joint inspection of the time for the 2010 CommonofficialinNHAIsaidthat area and ensure storm- wealth Games. Aerocity, drainsalreadyexistedon owned by DIAL, comprises water from nearby areas bothsidesofthenational 12 hotels with 5,400 rooms. was diverted to dedicated highway. drains. DIAL maintains the solution lay in DRAINS INADEQUATE upgrading urban infrastructure. We Rubbishing the claims of civic agencies need to have a proper flood model for that its internal drainage system was at the entire city to prevent such in- fault,DIALsaiditwasactuallytheexternal drains that were inadequate and stances, a DIAL official said. PWD says the airport should have improperly planned. Right at the beginning of the airbeen built at a higher elevation at the time of construction. The problem is port modernisation process, the airport not with the peripheral drains but with drainage system was thoroughly the fact that the airport is located in a planned to cater to rainwater in the enlow-lyingarea,whichwillreceiverun-off tire 5,100 acres of airport land. The airwater during the rains. If the internal port drainage system, despite being one drainage system of the airport was ade- of the best designed and well-mainquate, it would have been able to deal tained, faces extreme challenges due to with the added pressure of heavy rains, excess water from surrounding areas flowing into the airport during heavy a PWD official said. PWD Minister Raj Kumar rains. The drainage network around the Chauhan reiterated that the flooding airport is both inadequate as well as iminside the airport was due to issues with properly planned, a DIAL official said.

Flooding at T3 at the Delhi airport has almost become an annual feature during the monsoon. On June 16, rainwater entered the domestic arrival area, prompting air passengers to wonder whether it was a seaport. Shalini Narayan and Ruhi Bhasin find out why T3 gets flooded

Terminal Illness
SOURCE OF FLOODING
Northern access road leading to T3
Runway 28/10
lhi

A LOOK AT WHERE WATER-LOGGING IS TAKING PLACE AND WHY

WATER WORRIES
ARRIVAL
ds De Towa r
Shankar Vihar

T3

Domestic arrival

International arrival

T3
Runway 29/11

NH

-8

Baggage belts

Central spine road leading to T3

Mahipalpur

This area home to six villages namely Mehram Nagar, Mahipalpur, Samal Khan, Shahbad Mohammadpur, Bijwasan and Kapashera is situated at a level 17m higher than the airport elevation. There is no proper drainage system in the area. So when it rains, run-off water from this area floods T3

t Exi

gat

es

WATER-LOGGED STRETCH:
The area outside domestic arrival gets flooded when it rains ON JUNE 16, THE BAGGAGE BELTS WENT UNDER WATER FOLLOWING HEAVY RAINS

WHOSE DRAIN IS IT
DIAL
During the airport modernisation process, the airport drainage system was thoroughly planned. The drainage system, despite being one of the best, is stretched when excess water flows into the airport during heavy rains. The drainage system maintained by civic agencies around the airport is inadequate and improperly planned

PWD

The problem is not with the peripheral drains but with the fact that the airport is located in a lowlying area, which receives run-off water during the rains

DIAL has been criticised severely over T3s flooding. DIAL claimed at the time of construction, road standards were adhered to and, therefore, the drains were designed to deal with 55mm rainfall per hour both on the city side and the air side. Officials claimed both drains could,however,takeanintensityofupto 80mm rainfall per hour. DIAL attributed the June 16 incident to unprecedented rainfall at 117mm. During a joint survey, DIAL officials showed a PWD team as many as

EXPRESS ARCHIVE

five-six vulnerable points that called for restructuring of existing drainage arrangements. These included areas on NH-8, PWD and NHAI drains in front of Radisson hotel and near Mahipalpur crossing, a DIAL official said.

PWD DEFENCE

According to PWD, they were not even involved in the planning of the peripheral drainage system and were only given the project at the implementation

stage. Moreover, the plans were drawn up taking DIAL into confidence. The peripheral drainage system was supposedtobeconstructedbytheIrrigation and flood control department but because of delays by them, the work was handed over to us. The plan was discussed with DIAL also. We implemented the project and completed the workin2010.Thisincludedconstructing a storm-water drain, approximately 13m wide, which starts near

Mahipalpur and connects with the Najafgarh drain. This drain has now been extended to Shankar Vihar. The work on this has already been completed by us. We have also improved the diversion of storm-water from Rangpuri and Mahipalpur, said Sarvagya Srivastava, Chief Engineer (PWD). DIAL maintained that PWDs drains needed to be cleaned at least once a month since sewage water from DJBlinesenterthePWDdrainsleading to silt formation. Agreeing to this, PWD claimed that while its storm-water drains were functioning to capacity, they receive sewage water from DJB pipes. This adds to the problem of back flow during heavy rains, an official said. Since the new drain was built in 2010, we have checked the drainage system, which does not require any de-silting, the official added. DJBagreedtherewasaproblem.Sewage is flowing into the storm-water drains as the Kapashera Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)hasnotbeencommissionedyet.The STPisreadyandwaitingforelectricityconnectionfromBSES.Oncethatisdone,the STPwillbecommissionedbynextmonth and sewage will stop flowing through the storm-waterdrains,VKBabbar,Member (Drainage)forDJB,said.

SEWAGE ISSUE

DIAL, PWD in blame game, now each has contingency plan in place
EVEN as they indulge in a blame game on improper drainage system resulting in flooding of T3 during the rains, both DIAL and PWD have come up with separate contingency plans to deal with the problem. The airport operator has set up nine large high-pressure pumps, installed at strategic locations to pump out excess water. An official said the pumps had been installed primarily to deal with the issue of tunnel flooding. Additionally, a DIAL official said six pumps had been installed to pump out water from the terminal buildings roof. DIAL claimed the pumps were being manned 24x7 and that the internal drains at the airport, which are maintained by it, were being cleaned every three days. DIAL further claimed that regular mock drills were being conducted for personnel in the operations and maintenance team and that there was a dedicated team of 30 people to deal with the water-logging issue round-theclock. At any point during the monsoon season, there are 30 dedicated personnel deployed on the T3 forecourt to manage the heavy flow of surface water, which flows towards the domestic side of the T3 terminal building from surrounding roads and NH-8, which do not have adequate drainage facilities, a DIAL official said. A sluice gate has also been installed. The gate, which is operated manually, will be closed during heavy

WITH RAJ KUMAR CHAUHAN

PWD Minister

INTERVIEW

Everyone blames us during the monsoon

What led to flooding of IGI airport on June 16? There was a problem with the internal drains at T3 which led to the flooding of the premises. Are there any issues with the external drains around the airport which are being maintained by PWD? On our part, we are ensuring proper maintenance of our drainage network. We have been asked to extend the peripheral drainage network from Mahipalpur to Shankar Vihar, which we have done. Have you taken any additional steps? The flooding within the airport is not our responsibility.

DELUGE OF WOES
AUGUST 2009: A part of the roof of new Terminal ID blew off during heavy rains. Passengers had to make their way through knee-deep water. Boarding apparently came to a halt as X-ray machines and flight information display systems stopped working AUGUST 2010: The Air India office in
the international departures area at T3 had to be shut down following seepage from the roof, which resulted in a chunk of the false ceiling falling off. DIAL refuted it

(Left) A sluice gate installed at the airport; one of the nine high EXPRESS pressure pumps. (Below) A flooded Dwarka underpass.

SEPTEMBER 2011: Drains outside T3

overflowed, flooding the arrival area. Airport authorities shut the domestic arrival lounge and diverted travellers through the international side of T3

JULY 2012: The tunnel road, which

connects T3, was closed for some time because of flooding following heavy rains

JUNE 2013: Rainwater flowed into T3 between 2 pm and 5 pm, with the water level inside the airport rising as high as the baggage belts. The conveyor belts had to be stopped. The X-ray machines and lifts were also affected

rains to prevent water from entering the airports drainage system. DIAL claimed additional drainage systems had been constructed such as collection chambers to collect the city and highway surface water run-off, a step that will help

prevent flooding at the airport. The airport operator has also invested heavily on infrastructure for water recycling, rainwater harvesting and advanced water filtration. We have 300 rainwater harvesting wells, which can handle two to three cubic

metres of rain per hour, the official said. PWD officials said the airport operator need to strengthen its internal drains and concentrate more on rainwater harvesting to tackle the issue of waterlogging.

DIAL has blamed faulty peripheral drains for the flooding Everyone blames us during this season. Even the corporations have been blaming us for waterlogging, even though they have not done their job. But we are willing to do anything that is required of us.