The spillway gates of Lower Periyar, Kallarkutty and Ponmudy dams have been opened and the district administration has asked the people living on the banks of the downstream portions of the rivers to be alert.
A senior official at the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) said that the Lower Periyar dam was opened at 10.15 a.m. on Tuesday and the Kallarkutty dam the previous night. The Ponmudy dam has been remaining open for the past two days and more water was released as the inflow increased further on Tuesday. “There is no panic situation. The dams are small-sized ones, which usually get filled up during the monsoon rain, and are opened when there is a heavy inflow of water,'' said the official. The spillway of Lower Periyar dam was opened by 30 cm and the fourth shutter of Kallarkutty dam by 2 ft.
The north-east rain fall showed a declining trend in the district on Tuesday and the rainfall last recorded was 16.75 mm in the district, said the district revenue department office.
