Naia flood control system in place, says airport exec

While the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) cannot say for certain that there will be no more floods in the airport complex, it can only assure passengers that it has a working flood control system in place.

It was unfortunate, according to the MIAA, that a large part of Metro Manila was submerged in floods last Tuesday, making it difficult to pump water out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 4 ramp. As a result, several domestic flights were delayed.

MIAA assistant senior general manager Vicente Guerzon Jr., however, said that the flood affected only the ramp at Terminal 4—the lowest area in the Naia complex—and not the runway.

According to him, the drainage system and spillways in the complex, particularly in Terminal 4, are regularly cleaned and maintained.

“We have our own pumping station but the equipment could only reduce, if not control, the flooding since the surrounding areas of the airport were also flooded,” Guerzon explained.

The Naia has five industrial water pumps that can siphon off 25,000 liters per second of floodwater from the ramp area. The entire complex has huge culverts and spillways which direct excess water from the airport complex to the Parañaque River.

Last Tuesday, heavy rains wreaked havoc in Metro Manila, causing massive floods that left vehicular traffic at a standstill and thousands of people stranded.–Jeannette I. Andrade