THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As various districts in the state continue to receive torrential rain, the KSEB has opened a control room at its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, in addition to the Dam Safety Organisation office at Pallom in Kottayam, where the services of dam safety engineers have been made available to monitor all the 18 dams in the state round the clock. Facilities like satellite phones have also been set up in the control room to mitigate any of the public’s fears regarding the safety of the dams.
So far, 1,898.6mcm water has reached the 18 dams in the state as against the storage capacity of 3,532.5mcm. The Idukki Dam, the largest dam of the KSEB, has 54.12 per cent storage capacity. Similarly, the Idamalayar Dam has a capacity of 47.87 per cent, Kakki Dam 52.87 per cent, Banasura Sagar Dam 65.98 per cent, and Sholayar Dam 64.17 per cent. The total storage capacity of the KSEB’s dams is dependent on these five reservoirs.
The KSEB has informed that like any other monsoon season, the shutters of smaller dams like Peringalkuthu, Ponmudi, and Kakkayam, and comparatively smaller dams like Kallarkutty, Lower Periyar, Kallar, and Irattayar are being opened. It has also been issuing danger alerts according to the water level at the dams.