The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) on Thursday opened all four shutters of the Idamalayar Dam as heavy rain continued to lash its catchment areas.
With the inflow to the reservoir on the rise, the first three shutters were opened at 5. a.m, while the fourth one was opened after 8 am.
All shutters were opened by 80 cms in the beginning, but three shutters ended up being raised by two meters each and the fourth one by one meter.
Around 700 cubic metres per second (cumecs) of water is being released.
The KSEB had declared a ‘Red Alert’ on Wednesday after water breached 168. 20 metres out of the full reservoir limit of 169 metres
Though the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority had, on Wednesday, announced that only one shutter would be opened and 82 cumecs will be released, the rain and the resultant surge in inflow forced a change in plan. In fact, authorities had to open shutters three hours earlier than the initially fixed time of 8 am.
With no let up in rain, the volume of water released also had to be increased.
The more than four-fold increase in the water being released, areas downstream, especially along the banks of Periyar in Aluva, may face greater hardships than expected..
Last time when the shutters of the Idamalayar dam were opened, 900 cumecs of water was released, causing flooding along many areas in Aluva taluk.
