With the water level in the Idukki reservoir rising, the shutters of the Cheruthoni dam may be opened prior to water reaching the upper rule level of 2,403 ft, which is the full reserve level (FRL), an official of the Dam Safety and Research Station said on Thursday.
A decision to regulate the water level will be taken by the rule committee, which is monitoring the inflow and rain forecasts, he said adding that the orange alert level was 2,401 ft. It may take a day or two to reach the orange alert level if there was no unprecedented rise in inflow.
The water level was 2,400.46 ft at 6 p.m. on Thursday. “At present, there is no chance of it reaching 2,401 ft on Friday. In case of extreme rainfall, a decision on opening the shutters may be taken on Friday,” he said.
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As per the new rule curve level, the blue alert level is 2,395 ft, orange alert 2,401 ft, and red alert 2,402 ft. The upper rule level is 2,403 ft. The power generation at Moolamattam on Wednesday was 15.405 million units. Only five of the six generators are functional now and it is likely to impact the water level.
Meanwhile, the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam was slowly receding and it was 141.25 ft at 4 p.m. Only spillway shutter 3 was open by 10 cm on Thursday. There was an average inflow of 2,015 cusecs while the tunnel discharge was 2,000 cusecs and the water released to the Periyar 135 cusecs.
The chances of opening of more spillway shutters persist with rainfall continuing in the catchment area. The upper rule level of the dam is 142 ft.
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In the wake of heavy rainfall warning, the district administration has urged the people to be more vigilant. People should avoid night travel till November 29 as there are chances of heavy wind and landslips.