Flights disrupted due to waterlogging at Dimapur airport

Heavy downpour on Monday,resulted in waterlogging on the runway at Dimapur airport which led to delay or diversion or even cancellation of flights. According to AAI officials, Air India flight AI 709 (Kolkata to Dimapur) and Alliance air flight 91735 from Shillong were cancelled due to bad weather condition.
However, Delhi-Dimapur IndiGo flight, was diverted to Guwahati but later landed at Dimapur around 6.45 p.m. only after the runway was cleared.
Though the Airport director could not be contacted, an official said that waterlogging has been a regular feature during heavy rainfall as the runway was situated at a low-lying area. In addition to this, the official said most of the drainages in and around the area pass through airport. One of the main reasons for waterlogging was the issue of clogged drains surrounding the airport.
On Monday, the waterlogging was cleared after the clogged drains were cleared with the help of an excavator, the official said.
It has also become a primary safety concern for pilots to land in such conditions as it would lead to overrunning/skidding off the runway.
Even as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had red-flagged such issues with the state government and district authorities on several occasions, the official lamented that the matter remains to be ignored.