In brief
- Goobjoog News reported on 2014-11-22 that Ugas Khalif airport in Beledweyne, Hiran region, had closed because of heavy rains.
- The Hiran region social services chairman said all facilities, including the runway, were affected, and called for immediate reconstruction.
- The report does not establish whether the airport later reopened, nor any cost, funder, contractor or timeline for reconstruction.
On 22 November 2014, Goobjoog News reported that Ugas Khalif airport in Beledweyne district, the headquarters of Hiran region, had closed down due to heavy rains that started days earlier in the region.
The same report said flooding from the region's highland areas inundated the airport, turning it into a dam and bringing normal activities to a standstill.
Hiran region social services chairman Sheikh Hussein Osman Ali, speaking to Goobjoog FM, said the airport was closed because heavy rain affected all of its facilities, including the runway. The same official said the airport needs immediate reconstruction to improve its services, and that discussions had taken place with the ministry of transport and aviation on how to expand and increase the airport's capacity to avoid future flooding. The report does not specify whether that ministry is federal or regional, nor any named officials involved.
Flooding and displaced people
The same Goobjoog News report said the floods affected thousands of internally displaced people in the region, whose makeshift shelters were washed away by the rainwater. Those IDPs, it said, had recently been affected by floods of the Shabelle river and were in a desperate condition, appealing for immediate help. Their shelters, made of sticks and old rugs, could not withstand the heavy downpour, the report said. No verified count of those affected is given.
What the report does not establish
Beyond the 2014-11-22 report date, the record does not show whether the airport reopened, and if so when, or whether it closed again later. There is no cost estimate, funder, contractor, consultant or timeline attached to the reconstruction the Hiran official called for, and no confirmation that the discussions with the ministry of transport and aviation produced an agreement, a decision, funding or works. The exact dates the rains began and the airport closed are not given, and the closure is not attributed to an airport authority or ministry decision: the official quoted is the Hiran region social services chairman.
Frequently asked questions
When did Beledweyne's Ugas Khalif airport close due to heavy rains?
Goobjoog News reported on 2014-11-22 that Ugas Khalif airport in Beledweyne had closed due to heavy rains that started days earlier in the region. The exact start date of the rains and the closure date are not established.
What damage did the flooding cause at the airport?
Hiran region social services chairman Sheikh Hussein Osman Ali, speaking to Goobjoog FM, said heavy rain affected all the airport's facilities including the runway. The same Goobjoog News report said flooding from the region's highland areas turned the airport into a dam and halted normal activities.
Has reconstruction of the airport started or been funded?
The report only records a call by the Hiran region social services chairman for immediate reconstruction and discussions with the ministry of transport and aviation on expanding capacity to avoid future flooding. No agreement, funding, contractor, cost or timeline is reported.