IDUKKI: All power generators below the penstock tunnels leading from Kerala’s largest hydel reservoir in Idukki are working round the clock in what appears to be a losing battle to prevent the opening of the dam shutters. However, even as the reservoir brims with a copious flow of water and power production is on record units, the downstream villages, as well as the areas surrounding the dam are still struggling due to intermittent power outages.
Even as the authorities give assurances that the dam will be opened only after informing them, the residents here have no other way to get alerted. They have no option to charge their mobile phones to use it in case of emergency or to switch on the TV to watch the news. Their concern then? How can they get informed about the situation?The situation was similar in the dam offices on Monday, when a staff working at the ticket counter at the Hill View Park told Express the power connection was lost since Monday morning. “People are suffering in the wake of intermittent power outages for the past two days. The power goes off at about 8 am and the supply is resumed only after three or four hours, and it is repeated again after a few hours,” said Jose Kuzhikandam, a resident of Cheruthoni.
“This is a big problem as we don’t have any other way to get informed about the present situation. If an emergency alarm is issued, we will have to grope in the darkness to collect our essentials,” he said.
Residents of the Karimban, Thadiyampad near Cheruthoni, were experiencing frequent power outage. When the problem was brought to the notice of the officials concerned, they did not respond clearly to the reason behind these cuts. The power generation at Moolamattam Powerhouse was at a high of 15.051 million units on Tuesday morning.