KOCHI: Refuting allegations that a lapse on the part of the employees led to the accumulation of mud in the tunnels of Lower Periyar Power Project, forcing the shut down of the generators, KSEB chairman N S Pillai said the mud removal will be completed within five days.
“There are two sluice gates at Lower Periyar dam to drain out the slit accumulating in the reservoir. Only one of the sluice gates was open at the time of floods and the employees did not get enough time to open the second gate,” he said.
“It is a fact a huge quantity of silt got accumulated in the dam during the floods. The mud got accumulated in the tunnel and the generators forcing a shutdown. The generators have been cleaned and we are in the process of removing the mud in the tunnel. Around 600 m of the tunnel needs to be cleaned and the work will be completed within five days. After that the 180 MW power station will resume generation,” he said.
Power generation at various hydel projects owned by the KSEB, including Poringal, Ranni Perunad, Mattupetti and Adyanpara, have been affected due to the accumulation of silt and damage caused by the floods.
“It was an emergency situation and we are aware of the efforts taken by the staff at the dams to save the generators. There is no lapse on the part of the employees and no action has been initiated against any employee,” said Pillai.
KSEB Engineers Association president N T Job also said there was no lapse on the part of the employees at the Lower Periyar dam.
“There were only three employees at the dam when the inflow increased and they were engaged in machine operations. They succeeded in shutting down the generators safely. It was not humanly possible to stop the flow of silt into the tunnel,” he said.