SEPANG: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is ready to mitigate possible flash flood in Penang from the high tide phenomenon that is anticipated to hit this weekend.
Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd (MASB) general manager Mohammad Suhaimi Abdul Mubin said that mitigation plans are already in place at the Penang International Airport (Penang Airport). This is to ensure that the comfort, safety and convenience of passengers are not compromised.
“We want to be prepared. We don’t want to be caught off guard. We need to ensure that the passenger area (in the airport) is not affected,” he told New Straits Times in an interview here today.
MASB, a wholly owned unit of MAHB, manages, operates and maintains all airports in Malaysia apart from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Penang is expected to experience moderate rainfall on Saturday and Sunday from 5.30am to 8.30am. An exceptional high tide is also anticipated to occur on both days between 9am to 4pm.
The sea level is expected to rise up to 3m high and the high tide might cause a back flow of water, which could prevent rainwater from receding quickly. At the same time, there is also a possibility that the rainfall could be abnormal, at 80mm instead of the moderate 30mm to 40mm.
Suhaimi said MAHB has been working with the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD) to plan on the mitigation works.
The mitigation measures at Penang Airport include clearing the retained water currently in the available On-Site Detention (OSD) tank.
This is to ensure water from the monsoon drain, located underneath the kerbside, drains out faster in the event of heavy rainfall, said Suhaimi.
The OSD tank can contain about three hours of continuous 60mm rain and in the near future, MAHB will build another OSD tank, he added.
Penang Airport will also monitor closely the water level in the monsoon drain over the next two days and any excess water will be pumped out immediately into the OSD tank.
Two units of portable pump will be placed on standby to pump out water from the In-Line Baggage area to the nearest main drain to ensure that airport operations are not affected.
Suhaimi said the rain and expected high tide would not affect the Penang Airport operations but it could cause some inconveniences such as delayed flights should the downpour be very heavy.
He also said all relevant stakeholders including the airlines operating at the airport have been informed and notified on the mitigation plan.