Idukki: The shutters of Mullaperiyar Dam will not be raised on Tuesday as announced earlier. The Tamil Nadu government decided to keep the shutters closed after a dip in water levels on Tuesday morning.
The water level in the dam which rose to 138.25 ft on Monday went down by Tuesday morning.
The increase in water level was the result of unexpected and continuous rains received in the catchment area from Sunday afternoon. The heavy downpour in Theni district of Tamil Nadu led to the rise in water levels. The Vaiga dam which stores water from Mullaperiyar has been open since November. Boating activities were suspended in Thekkady due to the adverse weather.
The maximum storage limit of the 125-year-old dam is 142 ft. However, the shutters may be opened after the water level reaches 136. The spillway shutters of Mullaperiyar were opened in last August and December 2021.
The Idukki District Disaster Management Authority, chaired by Collector Sheeba George, held a review meeting in response to the rising water levels on Monday.
According to the KSEB, the water level at Idukki dam will not change substantially even if the shutters at Mullaperiyar are opened. The storage capacity of Idukki dam is 70,500 million cubic feet. Currently the dam has only 49,218.56 mcft of water.
(With PTI inputs)
