UCAA promises drainage redesigns to prevent future entebbe airport floods

The Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (COSASE) questioned officials from the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) on Wednesday about recent videos showing floods at Entebbe International Airport.

The floods not only damaged the country's image but also led to the destruction of passengers’ property.

The civil aviation authority assured Parliament that redesigns of the airport’s drainage system are underway to prevent future incidents.

This assurance was given by Eng. Ayub Sooma, Director of Airports & Aviation Security, while appearing before the committee.

MPs expressed concern over the floods that cut off the airport and asked the CAA to highlight measures being taken to prevent future occurrences.

“During that period, Entebbe International Airport received 30% of the total rain in the country, which overwhelmed the system. However, a systematic upgrade of our drainage system is ongoing, and we believe that once completed, such challenges will not easily recur,” said Sooma.

He explained that the flooding resulted from construction works at Entebbe International Airport aimed at upgrading the infrastructure to increase the tarmac area and accommodate the increasing vehicle traffic at the national airport.

The Civil Aviation Authority’s comments followed a question by Allan Mayanja Mayanja, MP for Nakaseke Central, who asked, “Recently, we saw floods and people’s properties were ravaged. Can you comment on this because it depicts a bad picture of our nation? Can you clarify what happened and how you are working on it?”

However, Martin Muzaale, MP for Buzaaya County, was not satisfied with the response about the volumes of rainfall received at the airport.

He argued that the airport, being at a higher altitude, should not experience flooding, suggesting that the issue lies with the drainage system design.

Muzaale said that the explanation is insufficient to explain the floods, adding that the issue is technically about the drainage system.

"It is poor. Go back to the contractor who designed it. The airport is on a higher altitude, not in a valley, so it shouldn't experience floods. Redesign the drainage system, and we won’t have floods. The heavy rainfall explanation is not justifiable,” noted Muzaale.

In April this year, UCAA apologised to the public and users of Entebbe International Airport following an incident where the airport parking area was flooded.

The incident, which gained attention on social media, occurred on April 6, 2024, during heavy rainfall that caused temporary drainage issues in the car parking zone.

The authority acknowledged that the existing drainage system was overwhelmed by the downpour, resulting in water backflow within the parking area.