NIAL Chief Executive Officer Rakesh Kumar Singh said the rainfall did not cause any waterlogging on the runway or apron area. According to him, a small amount of water accumulated temporarily in the parking area and was cleared immediately. The issue attracted wider attention after videos and images showing water in parts of the airport premises surfaced online. The incident has since led to political criticism as well as calls from local representatives for a review of drainage arrangements at the airport.
NIAL Seeks Detailed Report From Airport Developer
Noida International Airport Limited has asked Yamuna International Airport Pvt. Ltd., the company developing the airport, to provide a detailed report on the waterlogging episode. The reported accumulation occurred in the area connecting the airport terminal and parking facilities following rainfall. The matter came into public focus after a video of the water accumulation circulated on the internet.
Rakesh Kumar Singh sought to clarify the scale of the problem, saying that the runway and apron remained unaffected. He said only light water accumulation was noticed in the parking area for a limited period and that it was removed through immediate action. According to the statement attributed to the NIAL CEO, rain caused minor waterlogging in the parking section for some time, after which the affected area was promptly cleared. The decision to seek a report from YIAPL indicates that the airport authority is examining the circumstances behind the accumulation and the arrangements made for rainwater drainage in the affected area.
Samajwadi Party and Congress Target BJP Over Incident
The Samajwadi Party and Congress used the incident to raise questions about the airport project and the arrangements made at the site. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav posted about the matter on X and questioned whether boats would now be needed at the airport. He also linked the incident to allegations of corruption against the BJP government.
Congress also criticised the situation in a post on X and questioned the government’s claims regarding development projects after images of the waterlogging emerged. The political reactions came after photographs and videos showing rainwater collected in parts of the parking area began circulating online.
NIAL, however, maintained that the incident was limited to the parking section and did not affect key operational areas of the airport. The authority’s clarification stressed that neither the runway nor the apron had experienced waterlogging.
Local Representatives Call for Drainage Improvements
Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh visited the site on Wednesday and inspected the situation. He said that waterlogging or any technical shortcomings would not be ignored and asked the officials concerned to review the drainage system and ensure that necessary corrective measures were taken.
Member of Parliament Dr Mahesh Sharma also responded to the controversy. He said some people appeared eager to criticise a major project such as the Noida airport and objected to videos being circulated to mock the project after rainwater collected for a few minutes.
The episode has put fresh attention on drainage and rainwater management in and around the airport’s parking and terminal-linked areas. While the political opposition has used the visuals to question the project’s preparedness, NIAL has maintained that the accumulation was temporary, limited to the parking area and cleared promptly. The detailed report sought from YIAPL is expected to provide NIAL with further information on the cause of the water accumulation and the measures in place to prevent similar problems in the affected section of the airport premises.
