Idukki: One of the five shutters of the Cheruthoni dam, a part of the Idukki reservoir, was lifted by 70 centimetres on Saturday to release a whopping 50,000 litres of water per second from the gigantic reservoir. The water level had reached 2,387.5 ft before the shutter was opened. All shutters of the gigantic dam were shut on September 7, a month after they were opened as rain intensified in the state, leading to massive floods.
Meanwhile, the intensity of rain has weakened in the district including the catchment area of the dam.
Idukki District Collector K Jeevan Babu clarified that there was no confusion regarding the opening of the shutter. The shutter was lifted after consulting with the Power Minister and the KSEB. He added that the KSEB would take a call on how long the shutter would ke kept open.
He added that discussions with the Tamil Nadu authorities were held regarding the water level of the Mullaperiyar dam. It had reached 132 ft on Saturday.
Heavy downpour has forced the state authorities to open several dams in the state including the Malampuzha dam.
On Friday, the water level in the Idukki reservoir was 15 ft below its full reservoir level of 2,395 ft. Authorities are cautious to avoid delay in managing the water level in reservoirs after the bitter experience of August. Dam outflows were also blamed for worsening the floods that the state had experienced that month.
Adding to worries, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had warned that a low-pressure area, similar to the one that caused the mighty August floods, has formed over the Southeast Arabian Sea and could transform into a cyclone and move in the northwest direction by Saturday afternoon.
Heavy rain lashed parts of Kerala Thursday, including the high-range areas of Munnar, rekindling fears of the disastrous August deluge. When the day ended on October 4, Alappuzha recorded the maximum rain at 122.8 mm.
Meanwhile, the red alert issued in Idukki and Malappuram districts has been lowered to orange alert. The districts of Palakkad and Thrissur, that received heavy rainfall on Thursday, have been taken off the alert radar.
Dams opened
Neyyar, Aruvikkara and Peppara dams in Thiruvananthapuram; Mattupetti, Malankara and Ponmudi dams in Idukki; Banasura in Wayanad; Peringalkuthu, Chimmini, Peechi and Sholayar dams in Thrissur and the Mangalam and Pothundi dams, apart from the Malampuzha dam - all three in Palakkad - have been opened for the calibrated release of water.
On Friday, the Thenmala Parappar dam at Kollam was opened raising its shutters by 5 cm each. By 2 pm, Kakkayam dam in Kozhikode was also opened.
Overnight rainfall in Palakkad also caused a rapid rise in the water level in dams. Shutters of the Malampuzha dam were opened in the afternoon as the water level crossed 114.03 metres. Four shutters were opened 30 cm each and a warning has been issued to the people living along the Bharatapuzha and Kalpathipuzha.
Meanwhile, the 32 shutters of Thottappally spillway were opened on Friday night. It has been decided to open all the 40 shutters by Saturday afternoon.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked district collectors to set up the relief camps and it has said their concurrence was mandatory for the release of water from dams.
Fishermen who had gone out to sea were asked to reach the nearest place of safety before Friday and fishing activities had been asked to be dropped in entirety till the sea settles down.
Alert on
The depression and cyclonic storm could also trigger heavy to extremely heavy rain in various parts of the state. Orange alert has been issued to Palakkad for October 8 and to Idukki for October 6 and 8. On October 7, Idukki and Malappuram has been placed on a red alert, indicating extremely heavy rainfall.
Palakkad has been issued a yellow alert for October 6 and 7. Till October 8, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Wayanad have been issued yellow alert warning inclement weather conditions.
On Sunday and Monday, Kottayam, and the northern districts of Kozhikode, Kasaragod and Kannur have been placed on a yellow alert. Kollam, lying along the coast, has been issued a yellow alert for Saturday in view of the depression. On Saturday, Alappuzha, where some places continue to remain water logged post the August floods, and Malappuram in north Kerala, will experience rough weather and have been placed on a yellow alert.
Navy on full alert
The Indian Navy has put its air and surface assets at Kochi on high alert in view of adverse weather warning issued by India Meteorological Department, a Defence spokesman said Friday.
The Indian Navy has taken a number of steps for disseminating the information in various languages – Hindi, English, Malayalam and Tamil – to the local populace and fishermen.
Based on a request by the Fisheries department, the Southern Naval Command has deployed its naval ships and Dornier aircraft off Kerala coast and L&M Islands, to broadcast the weather warning to fishing boats at sea and advise them to return to harbour, he said in a release here.
All out efforts are being made for the safety of local fishermen, he said.
"All naval assets at Kochi, both air as well as surface, are being maintained at high alert to render any assistance to the state administration and local population in case of any contingency caused due to adverse weather," he said.
A strict round the clock watch about the development of weather conditions at sea and a close liaison with state disaster management authority for any development at land is being maintained, he added.
Travel restrictions
As a precautionary measure, the authorities have imposed restrictions on tourist activity at popular centres like Athirappilly and Munnar. Restrictions have been placed on tourist arrival at the Athirappilly waterfall from Friday. Tourist travel to Idukki, including that to catch a glimpse of the famed 'Neelakurinji' flower, has been curbed, mostly shutting out the spot to outsiders.
