IDUKKI: A giant rock from the top of Kuravan Hill, one of the two hills connecting the Idukki arch dam, fell down around 11.20 am on Saturday.
Though the rock fell down from a height of 145m, it did not create major damage to the dam, according to the preliminary examination conducted by the officials concerned. However, an iron ladder, which was in place to reach the top of the dam, was partially destroyed in the incident.
Officials consider it as a case of rock weathering, a phenomenon that results in the rock falling on the foothill and disintegrating into pieces.
According to an officer of the Electricity Department, this was the sixth incident of rock weathering after 1993.
Electricity Minister M M Mani, who was in the district, came to the spot and asked the officials about details of the incident. He directed the officials to initiate urgent steps to avoid such incidents in future.
Mani also asked the geologists to conduct a study on the incident to find permanent remedial measures.
It is learnt that KSEB would install iron nets around the rock to prevent the slipping down of rocks and to fill the cracks on the rocks with concrete mixture. In 2006, a few sheep grazing on the foothill of Kuravan Hill below the archdam were killed in similar incident of rock weathering.