IDUKKI: Shutters of Mullaperiyar dam will be raised on Tuesday, Tamil Nadu announced after the water level in the dam rose following heavy rain in Idukki on Sunday.
Water in the dam touched the 138.1 ft mark on Monday evening against the permissible level of 142 ft. TN will release 10,000 cusecs of water in a phased manner from 10 am on Tuesday. It is planning to maintain the water level at 140ft. TN has already issued the first and second warnings to Kerala to make arrangements.
The catchment areas — Thekkady and Periyar — recorded 108mm and 82.6mm of rainfall, respectively, on Sunday. While TN withdrew 1,867 cusecs of water from the dam, the average inflow into it at 5 pm on Monday was 11,060.79 cusecs.
“If rain recedes and inflow decreases, the discharge will be reduced or the shutters will be closed,” a source with the TN public works departments said. Idukki District Collector Sheeba George on Monday issued a warning to people settled on the banks of the Periyar River, asking them to move to safety as the river’s water level may rise once the dam shutters are raised. “There is no need to panic,” she said.
Residents of Vallakkadavu and Vandiperiyar, located downstream of Mullaperiyar, said while raising of the dam shutters during monsoon has been a regular practice since 2018, this is perhaps the first time the shutters are being raised in December.