Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured that an orange alert does not indicate that the shutters of the dam will be opened. (Source: Sandeep Vellaram)
The Kerala government Monday sounded an orange alert as the water level at the Idukki reservoir inched towards full capacity. The government issued a warning to residents of three districts — Idukki, Ernakulam and Kottayam — after the storage level touched 2,395 ft. The capacity of the reservoir is 2,403 ft. The Coast Guard, Army, Navy and Air Force have been put on standby and will be deployed to low-lying areas to conduct relief operations if necessary.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured that an orange alert does not indicate that the shutters of the dam will be opened, and added that the public will be informed well in advance if water is being released. “It must also be noted that the shutters of the dam will be opened only during daytime, and not in the night. The situation demands our vigilance, but there is no need for panic. It is our duty to refrain from any kind of fearmongering or misinformation,” he added.
The IMD has predicted heavy rain in several parts of Kerala today as well. A red alert will be issued if the storage level of the Idukki reservoir reaches 2,399 ft.
Idukki reservoir: The last time the dam shutters were opened was in 1992 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
At the Malampuzha dam in Palakkad district, the current height of water level is 114.7 ft while the maximum permissible limit is 115.06 ft. At the appropriate time, the sluice gates will be opened to release the excess water, an official told indianexpress.com. The dam, built in 1955, is the second largest reservoir in the state.
The KSEB has issued the 'orange alert' at the Kakki reservoir in Pathanamthitta district. The maximum height up to which water can rise in the reservoir is 981.46 ft. If the water level continues to rise, red alert will be issued and a specific volume of excess water will be drained out through the Anathodu dam. The reservoir is situated on the Kakki river, a tributary of the Pamba river.
The water level in the reservoir is now 2395.44 ft according to a reading recorded at 2 pm today. Only after the water level touches 2397 ft, will there be talks on doing a trial opening of the sluice gates. Right now, since the rainfall is less, the possibility of opening the shutter is small.
The shutters of three dams in Thiruvananthapuram -- Neyyar, Aruvikkara and Peppara -- have been opened with the water level rising, a state disaster control room official said. The water level in the Idukki reservoir has reached 2,395.38 feet and there is heavy rain in the catchment areas. (PTI)
The exceptional picture of #IdukkiDam opening. In 1992 #VictorGeorge took this magical frame.
Courtesy pic.twitter.com/pUFnIxgk9b
— Mohammed Faris (@faris_km) July 31, 2018
The Coast Guard, Army, Navy and Air Force have been put on standby and will be deployed to low-lying areas to conduct relief operations if necessary.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy (7-11cm in 24 hours) to very heavy (12-20cm in 24 hours) rainfall at a few places in Kerala on 31st July, heavy to very heavy rainfall at one or two places on August 1 and heavy rainfall at one or two places on August 2, 2018.
Idukki district, where the reservoir is located, is also predicted to receive 'heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places.'
Today, the Thiruvananthapuram City station of the IMD recorded the most rainfall in the state - 90.8 mm. Alappuzha station recorded 81.8 mm and Kottayam 58.8 mm. A warning has been issued to fishermen in the state as strong winds from the westerly direction with speeds reaching 25-35 kmph gusting to 45 kmph are predicted. Sea condition is likely to be rough to very rough.
A top KSEB officer in charge of dam safety and drip at Idukki reservoir said the water level hovers at 2395.4 ft. While the rainfall in the reservoir area is scarce at the moment, areas downstream such as Cheruthoni are getting a significant amount of rainfall. Officials are keeping a stern watch on the water level. This is the highest the water level has touched in 25 years.
An Orange Alert was issued last night in the three districts of Idukki, Ernakulam and Kottayam. Water can rise to a maximum of 2403 ft in the reservoir. The Idukki district administration will take the decision to open the sluice gates and drain out the excess water at an appropriate time. Residents of nearby towns downstream such as Cheruthoni have to be evacuated before the sluice gates are opened.