Malampuzha shutters opened after four years

People warned against crossing Bharathapuzha and its tributaries

August 01, 2018 11:16 pm | Updated August 02, 2018 08:15 am IST - Palakkad

Kerala, Palakkad,01/08/2018.  Shutters of the Malampuzha dam at “Rice Bowl of Kerala” Palakkad, were opened on Wednesday as the water level in the reservoir has increased Four shutters were opened by one inch each. The authorities opened the shutters as catchment areas of the reservoir received heavy rains. The Full Reservoir Level (FRL) was 115.06 meters.(377.493438 in feet).Kerala witnessing heavy rain last few weeks. Photo: K. K. Mustafah.

Kerala, Palakkad,01/08/2018. Shutters of the Malampuzha dam at “Rice Bowl of Kerala” Palakkad, were opened on Wednesday as the water level in the reservoir has increased Four shutters were opened by one inch each. The authorities opened the shutters as catchment areas of the reservoir received heavy rains. The Full Reservoir Level (FRL) was 115.06 meters.(377.493438 in feet).Kerala witnessing heavy rain last few weeks. Photo: K. K. Mustafah.

All the four spillway shutters of Malampuzha, Kerala’s largest irrigation dam, were opened by three centimetres after the water level crossed 114.88 metres on Wednesday morning. The shutters were opened at 11.45 a.m. in a phased manner and the process was witnessed by hundreds of people.

The full storage level of the dam is 115.06 metres. The water was released through irrigation canals to the nearby Mukkayi rivulet, from which it entered the Kalpathy river. By late evening, the water reached Parali to enter the Bharathapuzha, the second largest river in the State.

The dam shutters were opened for the first time in four years. On September 9, 2014, the shutters were opened after the water level crossed 114.76 metres. In 2013, water was released on August 15 after the level reached 114.86 metres. In the last four years, the catchment areas of the reservoir had received scanty rainfall resulting in poor storage levels. Farming suffered since the low percentage of water released for irrigation remained inadequate.

52 mm rain

According to Irrigation Department Executive Engineer S. Padmakumar, the catchment areas of Malampuzha reservoir received 52 mm rain this time. As heavy rain is expected on Thursday, the decision on closing the shutters would be taken at a review meeting on Friday noon.

The Fire and Rescue Services personnel and police are taking extreme vigil on the banks of the Bharathapuzha. People have been warned against crossing the river and its tributaries. Bathing and washing of clothes in the river have been prohibited.

Tourists would not be allowed to take selfies from the Malampuzha dam and garden premises. Entry of tourists to the hanging bridge across the main canal of the dam at Malampuzha has been banned.

Shutters of the Mangalam and Pothundy dams were also opened on Wednesday following incessant rain.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.