KOCHI: The southwest monsoon has brought both good news and bad news for the state. While the bad news is the incessant rainfall has devastated some parts of the state, the good news is it has led to a heavy inflow of water to the reservoirs, which, in turn, has brought cheers to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB).
The authorities said almost all the major dams were brimming with water, which had crossed the 80 per cent mark. And for the first time in 26 years, the Idukki Arch Dam, Kerala’s powerhouse, is set to achieve full capacity storage. The water level in the dam has touched 728 m and the authorities have started preparations to open the shutters once the water level reaches the maximum level of 732 m. The shutters of the dam were last opened in 1992.
With three more months left before the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon, the authorities are hopeful all the reservoirs will achieve 100 per cent storage capacity this time.
The KSEB has achieved the feat thanks to the bountiful rains within 45 days of the arrival of southwest monsoon. The previous record storage was in 2007-08 when KSEB had enough water to generate 3,500 million units of electricity in its reservoirs. As on Wednesday, it had enough water to generate 3,800 million units of power.
Considering the huge inflow of water in the reservoirs, KSEB is utilising its hydel power generators to the maximum.
On Tuesday, the total consumption of power in the state was 62 million units of which the contribution of hydel projects was 35 million units.
The spillway shutters of reservoirs at Sengulam, Neriamangalam, Ponmudi and Lower Periyar have been opened due to the huge inflow of water.