Heavy rains in Kerala: Idukki dam opened

Thiruvananthapuram: After heavy rains in the catchment area of the Idukki dam in Kerala, a shutter was opened as the water level touched the red alert level, officials said. The third shutter of the dam was the one which was opened on Sunday to a height of 40 cm and 40 to 50 cumecs of water was released from the dam. The decision was taken after the water level in the Idukki reservoir reached the red alert level at 2,399 feet. The full reservoir capacity of the dam is 2,403 feet.

Kerala State Electricity Board that is managing the dam in a statement said that water will be released in a controlled manner and the amount of discharge will be in phases. Meanwhile, the water level in Mullaperiyar dam has also risen to 140.10 feet and the Tamil Nadu authorities are gearing up to open the shutters. The police in Idukki district have issued high alert for people living on the banks of Periyar river following the possibility of Tamil Nadu opening the shutters of Mullaperiyar. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a Facebook post, asked everyone to be extra vigilant in view of the risk of landslides and other hazards due to the unseasonal rainfall. Authorities and the public need to be extra vigilant in the event of heavy rains in Kerala as part of the westerly winds, he said.

He said that people living in landslide and flood-prone areas will have to relocate to safer places or nearby relief camps as there is a possibility of widespread rains in the coming hours.