The Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas has been hit by flash floods again, and this time the heavy downpour seeped into the lobby of the arrival hall and flooded the taxi stand.

According to the Meteorological Department, the heavy downpour started at 7.20am and continued until 9am, with a record level of 62.6mm in an hour.

In September last year, Penang was also hit by a similar flash flood but the recorded water level was only about 52.8mm.

The situation has become fodder for Gerakan to attack Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng over his role in addressing the issue.

Gerakan National Youth chief Tan Keng Liang tweeted that Lim must not evade questions on the rare heavy downpour which flooded the airport today.

“Penang CM@cmlimguaneng got to learn from S’gor MB Khalid. Set aside political interest & petty issues. Work together with Ffed Gov’t for d ppl.”

“@cmlimguaneng dear CM, d airport is part of Penang & contributed immensely to Pg state. Should help, don’t be petty,” Tan tweeted.

In reply Lim retweeted: “@Little Hantu: @tankengliang when u select build, u donwan state involvement, now flooded u want @limguaneng 2solve?”

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB) is seeking the Penang government’s aid to resolve the problem, which is not a pretty scene as the state is a magnet for international tourists, with this year being Visit Malaysia Year.

MAB senior manager Mohd Arif Jaafar said that the downpour today was “out of the ordinary”.

He recalled that in December there was also a flash flood with recorded rainfall of about 55mm.

In both incidents, including today, the airport operations were uninterrupted, he added.

“The amount of rainfall today is out of the ordinary and it was out of control,” he told Malaysiakini.

“Our pump systems are all working properly but it was not enough to pump out the water. However, our operations are unaffected,” he added.

He sees this as an isolated case which can be overcome, albeit with some help from the state government.

Mohd Arif said the MAB has been working with the state government on how to solve the problem.

‘At least two balancing ponds needed’

“We have four rivers flowing through the airport area and we seriously need at least two balancing ponds,” he said.

“Other airports have such ponds but we do not have them in Penang. Hopefully, the state government can assist us in this.”

When contacted, state executive councillor for works, utilities and transport Lim Hock Seng (right) said MAB has expanded their business right up to India and Turkey, but should also look into the affairs of the airport in Penang.

“They should do something about this occurrences so as not to jeopardise their reputation,” he told Malaysiakini.

Asked about the balancing ponds proposed by Mohd Arif, Hock Seng said that this proposal needed to be studied.

“It would take time to materialise,” he said, adding that the Drainage and Irrigation Department is already looking into it.

“They have a master plan for drainage in areas like Batu Maung and Bayan Lepas,” he added.

Hock Seng said MAB had already done some flood mitigation measures to address the problem, like upgrading their pumps from four to eight units.

“This time, the situation is not as bad as in the past,” he noticed.
However, the pump house is not situated near the airport grounds, he noted.

Hock Seng said the taxi stand area has a depression which contributed to the water retention problem.

As for the flooded lobby on the ground floor where the arrival hall is, Hock Seng said surrounding drain culverts need to be opened and any rubbish inside needed to be cleaned up immediately.

“I visited the airport this morning and have been briefed by the airport management on the immediate actions to be taken,” he added.