With the opening of all four shutters of the Idamalayar Dam and rising water levels in the Periyar River, revenue authorities at Aluva Taluk are concerned.
Till Wednesday night, revenue authorities were expecting only a limited release of water through a single shutter, resulting in rise in water level of Periyar by around only one metre. But with all four shutters being opened, there is, as yet, no clear idea about the expected rise in water levels in the Periyar.
However, the continued rise in water level since the shutters have been opened have left authorities anxious.
Around 13 villages of Aluva taluk are expected to be affected by the release of water from Idamalayar dam. Officials have identified five to six potential relief shelters in all these villages. The initial calculation put the number of families likely to be affected at 4000. But with more water being released through all four shutters, that number may also rise.
No families have yet been evacuated as water is expected to take around six hours to reach Aluva from the time of opening of shutters, which happened at 5 am. As things stand, evacuation remains a likely possibility sooner rather than later.
The last time when shutters of Idamalayar dam were opened in 2013, it caused flooding along the banks of Periyar in Aluva.
