Kerala closes shutters of various dams as water recedes

Kochi: The various district authorities in Kerala, in consultation with the IMD and the state disaster management authority, have started closing the shutters of many of the major dams in the state after the water level was receded following a let-up in the rains.

The water dams were opened to discharge excess water accumulated due to the downpour in the state in recent days.

The two shutters of Cheruthoni dam, part of the Idukki reservoir in Kerala, which were opened on Tuesday, were closed today as the water inflow to the reservoir has reduced.

"To maintain the water level, the second and the fourth shutters were closed today. However, the third shutter was raised to 40 cms and per second 40,000 litres of water is being discharged. The weather is favourable today. Still, there is an orange alert for the Idukki dam. However, there is nothing to worry about the Mullaperiyar dam," Irrigation minister Roshy Augustine told the media.

The water level at Idukki is currently at 2398.2 ft.

Meanwhile, Pathanamthitta district collector Divya S Aiyer said shutters of Pampa dam were closed as the water level has come down to 74 per cent of the storage capacity of the reservoir.

"The shutters of Kakki dam were brought down to 30 cms. Earlier, it was raised to 90 cms and then later brought down to 60 cms to discharge water," the collector said.

The shutters of the dams were opened on Tuesday as water in these reservoirs had almost reached the danger levels. The three shutters of Cheruthoni dam were raised by 35 centimetres (cms) releasing one lakh litre of water per second.

The state witnessed heavy rains during October 15 and 16 resulting in widespread landslides and flooding in south-central districts of Kerala besides claiming over 24 lives.

According to the State Disaster Management Authority, from October 12 to October 18, at least 90 houses have been destroyed in the rains, while 702 were partially damaged.