THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though the state government is doing its best to avoid casualty and damage in case water is released from the Idukki reservoir, the administration remains unsure of the exact number of people who will be affected. Nor is there clarity on how much cropped area or agricultural land will be submerged or impacted. The reason: The Revenue Department has little record on how much of the riverbank has been encroached upon over the years. To make things worse, there is no data available with the state government regarding the level of rise in water the last time the shutters were opened, back in 1992.
Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan admitted the department has no record to show the extent of encroachment upon the riparian region. But officers have clarified that, according to the department’s assessment, the water level will increase considerably on the stretch between the Cheruthoni Dam and the Panamkutty bridge, a distance of 20-25 km approximately. The department has now instructed to shift families settled close to the Cheruthoni river in the range of 10-100 metres to safer locations for four hours in the event of water discharge from the reservoir. Various departments too are clueless on the exact level to which water will rise in the event of the shutter opening as they have not recorded the water level points when the dam was opened 26 years ago.
In this backdrop, the department is planning to review the situation on the banks of Periyar lower down in the trial run which will be conducted if the water level in the reservoir touches 2,397 feet against the full reservoir limit of 2,403 ft. A senior officer in the department said the gravity of the encroachment can be assessed easily if the shutters of the dam are opened. Internationally, riparian reserves are classified and protected from encroachments under the Ramsar Convention of 1971.
Peechi dam shutters raised by 20 inches
Thrissur: The District Collector issued an alert to people staying on the banks of Manali and Karivannur rivers since the shutters of Peechi dam were opened by 20 inches at 3 pm on Tuesday. Though the shutters were opened a couple of days ago, it was only by an inch. If the level increases further, the shutters will be raised again.
Malampuzha dam
The four spillway shutters of the Malampuzha dam will be opened between 11 am and noon on Wednesday by 3 cm each as the inflow of water has increased due to the incessant rain.
Kakki dam
The KSEB, which manages the Kakki reservoirs of the Sabarigiri hydroelectric project, Pathanamthitta, has issued an ‘orange alert’ after the water level in the dam inched up to the mark of 980 m.
Pothundy dam
The three shutters of the Pothundy dam were opened by 0.75 cm each at 2 pm on Tuesday. The water level in the dam has reached 108 m (53.75 ft). The maximum storage level is 55 ft.
Mangalam dam
All the six shutters of the Mangalam dam have been raised by 30 cm as the water level has reached 77.52 m. The maximum water level is 77.88 m. Malampuzha, Pothundy and Mangalam dams fall under the Malampuzha irrigation division.