The Central Water Commission (CWC) has approved the emergency action plans (EAPs) for 21 dams being operated by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), Electricity Minister M.M. Mani has said.
Mr. Mani told the Assembly on Friday that the government had submitted the EAPs for 24 dams for approval. The safety protocol, made mandatory by the CWC in 2016, aimed at mitigating the consequences of exigencies.
Though the KSEB had initiated steps to frame the EAPs prior to last year’s floods, the rule curves of major reservoirs, which served as a guide in coordinating their operations, had been revised in line with the guidelines of the CWC following the natural calamity. As part of further enhancing dam safety protocols, Operation and Maintenance (O&M) manuals were prepared for seven reservoirs, including Idamalayar, and had been submitted to the CWC for approval.
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The renovation of reservoirs was under way as part of the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project.
Various steps were undertaken to minimise power transmission losses that had burdened the energy-deficient State. Transgrid 2.0 project, aimed at strengthening the power transmission network, had been completed, he said.
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The government had undertaken energy audits in the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College and five civil stations as part of its energy conservation steps. Energy audits had been made must for industrial units and large-scalecommercial consumers.
A Smart Energy programme was being conducted in 4,800 schools across the State to create awareness on energy conservation among students. Moreover, 550 schools had been made carbon-neutral, Mr. Mani said.
The government had also been successful in declaring Pilicode grama panchayat in Kasaragod as the first filament bulb-free local body in the country. Furthermore, as part of its filament bulb-free campaign, the government had decided to distribute 7.5 crore LED bulbs.