Idukki district administration stated that 534 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water will be released from the dam and urged people downstream to remain vigilant as Tamil Nadu prepares to open three shutters of Mullaperiyar dam at 11.30 am on Friday as water level in the dam has reached the permissible level of 137 ft due to heavy inflow.
Sheeba George, the collector for the Idukki District, stated that every care has been taken to deal with the situation brought on by the opening of the shutters. She advised those who live near the Periyar River to be on the lookout.
Mullaperiyar Dam’s water release would go to Idukki, the state’s largest reservoir, where a blue alert (the first level of warning before opening shutters) has been in effect since.
In the meantime, due to the massive rains that have fallen in the catchment area, the shutters of Malampuzha Dam, the second-largest in Kerala, would likely be raised by 9 am on Friday.
It has been suggested to those who live near the Bharathapuzha, Mukkaipuzha, and Kalpathy Puzha to use caution and refrain from going into the water bodies for activities like fishing.
In the Palakkad district’s three taluks, Chittur, Mannarkkad, and Alathur, five relief camps are now running.
The spillway shutters of the Malampuzha Dam had been raised by 30 cm last month to let out extra water.
Mullaperiyar Dam’s water release will go to Idukki, the state’s largest reservoir, which has been under a blue alert since Wednesday (the first level of warning before opening shutters). At 74.10 percent of its capacity, the Idukki dam’s water storage level is 10% higher than it was on the same day last year.
Hundreds of citizens have been evacuated from flood-prone locations throughout districts in Kerala this week due to severe rains and flooding, and more than 20 fatalities have been reported.
