A red alert has been sounded after the water level in the Idamalayar dam reached 168.3 m on Wednesday evening.
The executive committee of the State Disaster Management Authority has decided to open the dam at 6 a.m. on Thursday. If the water level reached the level of 170 m before that time, 82 cumecs (cubic metre per second) would be released. The maximum storage level of the dam is 169 m. The Idamalayar dam was opened in 2013 and 900 cusecs (cubic feet per second ) of water was released into the Periyar then.
There was an increase of 1 to 1.5 m in the water level now. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has advised people living on the river side in Ernakulam district to initiate safety measures. The fourth shutter of the Malankara dam was opened on Wednesday. The shutter was lifted to 50 cm. The tail water from the Moolamattom power house of the Idukki dam is released into the Malankara dam.
