KOCHI/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though heavy rain continued to batter the state on Thursday, there is no need for panic as the water level in major dams remain way below the half-way mark. The fresh bout of rainfall brought smiles to the KSEB as water level in Idukki dam, which stood at 2,322.26 feet on Wednesday, reached 2,326.60 feet at 7 pm on Thursday. The reservoir was receiving a smart inflow of 12.919 MCM.
The Sabarigiri Project, which has a storage capacity of 446.5 MCM, has only 102 MCM water, which accounts for 22 per cent of its maximum capacity. The water level in Sholayar dam, which can hold 149.23 MCM of water, stood at 56.5 MCM on Thursday, which was 36.85 per cent of its maximum capacity.
Idamalayar dam with a maximum capacity of 1,017.8 MCM had 290 MCM water on Thursday, which is only 28 per cent of its capacity. The water level in Banasurasagar dam, which can hold 253.26 MCM, rose to 120 MCM on Thursday, which is 60 per cent of its capacity.
“Though it is raining heavily, there is no need to open the shutters of major dams as the water level is very low. We have opened the shutters of minor dams like Kallarkutty, Lower Periyar, Poringalkuthu, Kallar, Kakkayam and Erattayar. These are small dams with a storage capacity of 5 MCM,” said KSEB chairman N S Pillai.
However, he indicated that the board might consider releasing water from Banasurasagar dam if heavy rain continues for one more day. “If incessant rain continues for one more day in Wayanad, the water level in Banasurasagar may reach the rule curve level fixed by the board. But, we will open the spillway only after obtaining permission from the District Collector. As flood situation is prevailing in Wayanad, there are chances of delaying the water release,” he said.
Another heavy spell in the offing by August 15
The incessant rain that has been lashing the state for the past few days has once again evoked memories of the 2018 deluge. Though the ongoing spell is expected to subside in two days, the state may experience another bout of heavy rain by August 15 and it is expected to last a few more days.
Weather models of the Global Forecast System (GFS), a global numerical weather prediction system, indicate that another bout of heavy rain is likely by August 14-15, the same date when the state witnessed torrential rain last year. A couple of other weather models of international agencies have also indicated extreme precipitation over the state on the anniversary of the flood.
K Santhosh, director of IMD, Thiruvananthapuram, said the current spell of heavy rain is a result of the well-marked low pressure over the Bay of Bengal which has intensified into a depression and is centred near Chhattisgarh. But this is expected to normalise in a couple of days. Asked about the next spell reported by other agencies, he said an exact picture can be made public only by August 10 or 11.
Sekhar L Kuriakose, member secretary, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), said, “KSDMA is mandated to go by the weather prediction models of IMD. However, in some circumstances, we monitor the forecast of other agencies as part of taking precautionary measures. There is a possibility of heavy rain by August 15, but the accuracy of the heavy spell can be ascertained only in the coming days.”
State prepared to face emergency situations
T’Puram: A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday reviewed the disaster preparedness in the state in the wake of heavy rain in Malabar region. All the departments concerned have been directed to take precautionary measures. The state government had sought the assistance of 13 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and one team each has already been sent to Nilambur and Idukki, said Pinarayi. The emergency operation centre of the State Disaster Management Authority is fully equipped to take on emergency situations.