With shutters of the Peppara dam raised, the city may experience waterlogging and flooding yet again, District Collector K. Vasuki has said.
The India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for the district on Thursday too.
Ms. Vasuki said opening of the Peppara shutters and heavy rain had caused severe waterlogging in many parts of the city on Wednesday.
Though the dam shutters had been lowered to 1 m following low rain, these had been raised again on Thursday morning following a rise in water levels. With this, low-lying areas in the city could again see a surge in waters.
With more rain forecast in the district, people, especially on the banks of rivers, should remain alert. They should heed requests of revenue officials to shift to safety, Ms. Vasuki said. In some districts, people who had been reluctant to move despite officials’ plea were now stranded in the surging waters, she pointed out, seeking the cooperation of the public to avoid loss of life.
Though the rain has let up in the district, shutters of all dams were raised on Thursday. At Peppara, three of the four shutters were raised. On Wednesday night, the dam shutters were lowered from 1.8 m to 1 m. The water level in the dam, however, gradually increased, and the shutters were again raised on Thursday morning.
The water level was 108.97m, though the full reservoir level (FRL) was 110.5 m.
Though it had rained in the morning, it eased off to a drizzle, and had stopped since, the Kerala Water Authority Assistant Executive engineer said.
At Aruvikkara, four of the six shutters were opened, taking the total height to 3.8 m. The water level was 46.4 m, while the full reservoir level was 46.6 m.
Water level at the dam is usually maintained between 46.3 and 46.5 m for pumping. There was no rain here during the day.
Water level in the Neyyar dam came down on Thursday to 83.9 m. All four shutters were raised by 2 ft. On Wednesday, the water level was 84.6m, and the shutters had been raised by 12 ft at one point.
The full reservoir level is 84.75 m. There was no rain in the area, though it continued to be cloudy, the Irrigation Department Assistant Executive Engineer said.
