Kerala rains: Water in some dams reaches red alert levels
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
With heavy rains continuing to lash parts of Kerala, water levels in several dams, including the Mullaperiyar and Idukki, in the state are reaching their respective storage capacities and some even reached red alert status on Sunday.
According to figures provided by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), water in six dams -- of which four are in Idukki -- under the control of Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) are at red alert levels and in one at orange alert level.
The dams where water has reached red alert levels at 11 am were -- Ponmudi, Kallarkutty, Erattayar and Lower Periyar in Idukki, Kuttiyadi in Kozhikode and Moozhiyar in Pathanamthitta districts of the state.
Orange alert was announced in Poringalkuthu dam in Thrissur, KSDMA said.
The colour-coded alerts -blue, orange and red -- refer to the storage level data of the dam with respect to each reservoir’s capacity. Later in the evening, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, referring to weather reports and
KSDMA data, said an orange alert has also been announced in Meenkara irrigation dam in Palakkad.
Besides that, blue alerts have been announced in Neyyar and Mangalam irrigation dams in Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad, respectively, the Chief Minister said in a release.
It also said the water level in Mullaperiyar dam has reached 135.75 feet and once it reaches 136.60 due to the rains, Tamil Nadu will release water from its side through the spillway and therefore, nearby residents should be vigilant and take precautions. The water levels in the Mullaperiyar dam were holding steady at 135.7 feet at 12 pm due to reduction in rainfall in the area during the preceding hours, an official from the control room set up in Idukki district had said earlier in the day.
The Chief Minister, in the release, also said water was being released from Malankara, Siruvani, Kuttiyadi, Kallada, Karapuzha, Kanjirappuzha, Peechi, Maniyar, Bhoothathankettu, Moolathara and Pazhassi dams in the state.
The colour-coded alerts -- blue, orange and red -- refer to the storage level data of the dam with respect to each reservoir’s capacity