GEORGE TOWN, Oct 30 — The Penang International Airport (PIA) has taken remedial steps to prevent the lounge area of the airport from flooding again.

PIA senior manager Mohd Nadzim Hashim said they have installed an additional pump at the Catchment Sump of the area to prevent an overflow during heavy rains.

“There is already an existing pump so we have installed an additional and more powerful pump immediately following the flash flood on Sunday,” he said in a statement today.

He said the airport management will also be expanding the Catchment Sump so that it can accommodate more water runoff from the ground surface.

“This expansion will be followed by improving the pump capacity to pump water out from the sump into Sungai Keluang,” he said.

The airport management will also be raising the ground level of the lounge area by about one feet.

“By raising the ground level, the water runoff, if any, will not flood the lounge area,” he said.

He said if the area was to be flooded again, the site affected will be closed and passengers will be shifted to another area so that they do not have to wade through flood waters.

Bayan Lepas assemblyman Azrul Mahathir Aziz today said a meeting with PIA and Malaysia Airport Berhad was held regarding the flood in PIA on Sunday.

“This issue has tarnished Penang’s image as a tourism destination so immediate action must be taken to prevent future occurrences,” he said.

He said he will continue to monitor the situation and work with MAB to ensure this does not happen again.

On Sunday, passengers waded through ankle-deep water to board their aircraft due to a flash flood at the departure lounge.

The flood occurred after about two hours of heavy rain that morning.