If the rain gods continue to be active over central Kerala for the rest of the week, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) will be forced to do something it has done just twice, open the shutters of the Idukki dam.
With water levels in the Idukki reservoir reaching 2,393.8 feet, the KSEB issued a first-level warning with the water level increasing by the day.
“The Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of Idukki is 2,403 feet, but we also have a cushion of an additional five feet. The shutters have been opened only twice- the last instance being in 1992 - since the commissioning of the dam,” KSEB chief engineer (dam safety) K K Karappankutty said.
At 780 MW, Idukki is also the state’s biggest hydel project, and with ample water, it now has an average power generation of seven million units (MU) a day.
Water levels in majority of major reservoirs managed by the KSEB are now more than 85 per cent full, with six - Sholayar, Edamalayar, Kuttiadi, Thariode, Lower Periyar and Poringalkuthu - full to capacity. Total storage level stood at 91 per cent with the reservoirs having enough water to generate 3,758 MU. Neriamangalam and Ponmudi are 97 per cent full, Pampa 97 per cent and Idukki 89 per cent. All dams under the Irrigation Department had opened shutters, except Walayar. The level of water in the Malampuzha dam has reached 114 meters. When the level reaches 115.06 metres, the shutters will be opened anytime.