IDUKKI: The months of November and December usually herald cool winter and pleasant weather conditions in this hill district. But things are not pleasant for the villages located downstream of Mullaperiyar dam for the last several weeks.
The residents have been spending sleepless nights fearing that the floodwater from Periyar would submerge their houses after Tamil Nadu increased the discharge through the Mullaperiyar spillways.
On Monday night hundreds of houses in the villages of Vallakkadavu, Vikas Nagar, Churakkulam Attoram, Karuppupalam, Manjumala Attoram, and Inchikkadu Attoram were inundated after Tamil Nadu increased the discharge through spillways to 12,654 cusecs at 9 pm.
Roy Francis, a villager in his late 50s, looked helpless as he and his family packed up household goods on Monday night. Roy and other residents settled in Ward-7 in Vikas Nagar of Vandiperiyar made desperate efforts to save their household essentials after the gushing water from Periyar entered their houses on one-foot height by 7 pm itself on Monday when only five shutters were opened to a height of 60 cm to release 3,947 cusecs of water. The water discharge was increased at 9 pm by opening four more shutters.
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“At least 11 houses in Vikas Nagar area have been submerged in floodwater on Monday night. The water in the Periyar river started rising by 6 pm and by 9 pm and we had to climb on upper grounds for safety. Till early this morning (Tuesday), when the water started receding, we had to stay awake to keep guard of houses,” Roy told The New Indian Express, adding he had been doing this for the last two weeks.
In 2018, when Tamil Nadu opened the dam shutters, water had entered Roy’s house to a height of 6 ft. “That time, the Periyar is already in spate and the release of water compounded to the issue. However this time, Periyar was at its lowest levels, hence flooding was not as serve as it was in 2018,” he said.
But, if rain gathers strength in the downstream areas, the possibility of heavy flooding in the downstream areas is high. As per unofficial estimates, at least 17 houses have been submerged in floodwater in the Churakkulam Attoram village while the floodwater entered nearly 150 houses in Vallakkadavu village.
Although Tamil Nadu had opened the shutters of Mullaperiyar dam on October 29, water from the dam was released without proper warning since November 30, when the water level in the dam reached the permissible level of 142 ft.
To let out the surplus water, Tamil Nadu has been opening more shutters at night while reducing the discharge during the daytime. Authorities attributed heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the dam during the night forcing the state to open more shutters at night to bring down the water level.
Responding to this, water resources minister Roshy Augustine said that Tamil Nadu's move was inhuman without considering the safety of residents downstream.
Even as the minister said that the state government will convey its concern to the Tamil Nadu government two days ago, as many as 9 shutters of the dam were lifted again to a height of 120 cm to release 12,654 cusecs of water from the dam at 9 pm on Monday.
“The issue needs to be considered seriously as it poses danger to the life of hundreds of residents settled in the downstream. Residents including children are fleeing for their lives from their homes at night,” said Manikandan, another resident said.
Shutters of Idukki dam raised
With incessant rain filling up the Idukki reservoir near to its capacity, the authorities, meanwhile, started releasing water into the Periyar river on Tuesday and raised the shutter further to 60 cm at 8.30 am, alerting residents of low-lying areas near the river.
The storage in the dam was 97% and the water level was below the orange alert level of 2,401 ft till Sunday. However due to incessant rain for the last two days in catchment areas and the discharge of water from Mullaperiyar dam, the water level in the dam crossed 2401 ft at 5 pm on Monday.
To let out the surplus water, one shutter was lifted to a height of 40 cm at 6 am on Tuesday, which later increased to 60 cm. As much as 40 cumecs to 150 cumecs of water will be discharged from the dam in a phased manner.
A release issued from the Idukki district administration said the water level is increasing rapidly in the Idukki dam and the Mullaperiyar dam, located upstream. “If heavy rain continues, then the release of water will be increased. People living on the banks of Periyar are needed to stay alert,” it said.
Meanwhile, one shutter of the Pambala dam (Lower Periyar) was also opened at 9 am on Tuesday to release 500 cumecs of water.